Running RPG Encounters

Posted on 5/16/2012 by Coyote

Before I start down this path of insanity which is trying to perfectly represent every creature in a game of Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder I should remind myself that my buddy runs a great game of Pathfinder with whichever miniatures he has available. I don’t mind this at all, and even find that I picture the fight looking like it should instead of being bothered by incongruous miniatures.

Having said that it is now time to overthink things. I’ve run 4E before using a combination of pre-painted miniatures and round tokens. I thought it worked rather well and assuming I need to run an encounter featuring kobolds, goblins, hobgoblins or the undead I am set. It is expanding the collection that concerns me.

Kobold encounter from Keep on the Shadowfell. Miniatures and battlemap from Wizards of the Coast. Counters from Fiery Dragon.

Where have I seen this image recently? Kobold encounter from Keep on the Shadowfell. Miniatures and battlemap from Wizards of the Coast. Counters from Fiery Dragon.

The counters you see above are from a pdf collection provided for free by Fiery Dragon. The counters were originally square but I modified them to be round then had them printed at Costco in their photo department. I go into a little more detail here. These work great and aren’t that expensive to make. I really like how they keep the heroes as the center of attention.

So, my first option would be to buy a bunch of the Fiery Dragon counter packs in PDF and do the prep. This gives me exactly the mix of counters I need for whichever encounter I desire. If I need more of something I just print them out at Costco. There are some issues with these counters that I would fix in the next back; I would include a blank spot for numbering. Currently I’ve numbered the bottom which requires a lot of checking the bottom to identify which creature has taken what damage.

If I don’t want to do the work there is also the various pre-printed counters produced by Fiery Dragon. There are two styles, the older square die-cut cardboard counters and the newer round plastic counters. The older counters are less expensive, coming in at $0.05 per counter while the newer counters are $0.31 per counter. Even though they are more expensive I am leaning towards the plastic counters, if I were to go that way. They even offer a goblin-themed set.

I would get the base set and the goblin set. Hopefully Fiery Dragon will continue to release new themed sets to allow me to bulk up my forces for specific encounters. I’d also be able to use my existing counters with the new set, which is a plus.

If I were to jump off the deep end and abandon 4E for Pathfinder I would probably start with the Beginner’s Box. This gives me some rules to start with and a bunch of tokens. The tokens are standees and wouldn’t work well with my existing counters. However Paizo is releasing a boxed set based on their Bestiary sourcebook and plan sets for their published Adventure Paths. In the middle, price-wise, this option would be the one I’d chose if I was switching to Pathfinder.

I still haven’t decided which way I’d like to go. I have plenty of time though. The group that wants me to run a game for them isn’t even close to choosing a time, place or game.

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Sexism in Fantasy Art

Posted on 5/15/2012 by Coyote

This is a comment on a blog I read today. I didn’t want to sign in to leave a comment so I’m making it here. For everyone who wants to comment on my blog but can’t be bothered I want to say: I understand, it’s cool.

So, Vivian Abraham has written a reaction to a Wizards of the Coast article where Jon Schindehette, Senior Creative Director for Wizards of the Coast, attempts to address the issue of sexism in fantasy art. It might be a good idea to read the articles but I’ll give a super quick recap.

Mr. Schindehette makes the point that sexism is still a thing, that many people aren’t clear what it is, exactly, and that most of his target audience enjoys the currently fashionable depiction of women in fantasy. If you are reading this in the future, or somehow the past, fantasy art tends to depict woman as being slender with exaggerated sexual characteristics and generally revealing clothing.

Ms. Abraham makes the point that it is good that this issue is being acknowledged by WOTC, but that Mr. Schindehette hasn’t done anything towards fixing the problem beyond talking about the issue and asking his readers to comment.

I think the problem here may be one of gender. Men tend to have a hard time relating to sexism because it isn’t a thing they experience. You can’t show an image of a physically fit man with exaggerated muscles to a man and expect him to react the same way as a woman would to an image of a slender woman with overly large hips and bust. Even this example suffers the same problem as some of the points Mr. Schindehette makes. How a woman looks isn’t the sole factor in determining whether an image is sexist or not.

The problem, you see, is here; when he says, “Do you disagree with depictions of ‘perfect specimens’ of humanity?” in describing a depiction that may be considered sexist and says, “It is tough to get an artist to give me an image of an ‘ugly’ character without actually asking for it.” when talking about showing more respect during the depiction of genders.

It seems that sexy is sexist and ugly is not. This is the wrong idea and if you start from this wrong idea you will find it extremely difficult to understand why an image of a 50′s housewife could be both sexist and not sexist.

Once you realize that perhaps you don’t know how to create a non-sexist image of a woman you are making your first step on the road to recovery. Don’t go looking for a woman’s opinion as a fall-back. This is an easy trap to fall into as each woman’s opinion is different and some will even contradict. This is because, and this is vital to understand and perhaps the key to depicting and dealing with women in a non-sexist way, women are unique individuals.

There is much more to the story but I think 500 words is all I will inflict on my readers, none of whom are sexist or deserving of a lecture as far as I know. Hopefully Ms. Abraham checks her incoming links.

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Planning Pinning: Or How to Keep Infinity in the Mindspace

Posted on 5/14/2012 by Coyote

Here I am thinking about how to think about Infinity in order to think about Infinity. I need to play more to really think clearly about scenario design or tactics. I need to finish assembling a Nomad Zond Remote before I can play. For that, I need to figure out how I am going to pin it to the base.

AHA!

Infinity Nomad Zond Remote by Corvus Belli.

It appears that the model is more stable than I expected and just two blobs of blue-tack hold it firmly to the base. Infinity Nomad Zond Remote by Corvus Belli.

So, how to pin my Nomad Zond Remotes to their bases. The models have big, chunky bodies which attach to two sets of legs. Pinning these should be no trouble. Each set of legs has two “feet” of two small wheels. I’m not sure that I’ll be able to pin these properly. Let’s say I am able to pin these, perhaps a pin in each wheel giving me 8 points of contact. This should be sufficient to support the model even if the pins are short.

Painting becomes a problem. The large round base prevents the brush from easily reaching the inside legs and underside. Normally I would leave the pins long and clamp them in a painting rig. Once the miniature is painted I can trim the wires and attach the miniature to the finished base.

In this case I want to game with the unfinished miniature, so leaving long pins might not be the solution. Tonight I will experiment will large balls of blue-tack. It won’t be pretty, but it should let me play with the miniature until it is time to paint it. I’m going to leave the weapons off for now. I’ll probably attach them after painting the miniature of perhaps even experiment with using rare earth magnets to let me choose what I want to attach. Hmm, an idea for later.

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An Apology to Mr. Petersen

Posted on 5/13/2012 by Coyote

Or, as I have been calling him, Mr. Peterson.

David Petersen is the creator of the Mouse Guard comic which I enjoy, and co-creator of the Mouse Guard RPG which I also enjoy. I’ve just realized that I’ve been spelling his name wrong this whole time and although I’d edited every post where I’ve done this I still wanted to apologize for my carelessness.

Now I have to try to edit every post tag where I’ve misspelt his name.

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Maintaining Enthusiasm and Focus

Posted on 5/13/2012 by Coyote

Has it only been a month since I tried to refocus my hobby projects? Already I feel that I am sliding off the path I set myself, a path I know will lead to great happiness and satisfaction. Back then I was set on finishing my Infinity forces and playing some Mouse Guard. I was working on a Mouse Guard RPG review which I haven’t finished, and had ordered the models to build a 200pt Infinity Nomad army.

Now I’m thinking about investing in Pathfinder as a GM. An expensive proposition, considering that I would need to invest in the Core Rulebook and the Bestiary at the very least. I also unearthed some 1/72 Germans I had primed that would be useful for a WWII game I could run for my friends using the Canadians I’ve already painted.

Mouse Guard art by David Petersen.

Mouse Guard art by David Petersen. Please gave upon this awesome art and realize how much you need to purchase his stuff. I checked every dealer at the Ottawa Comic Con and didn't find any selling Mouse Guard beyond Black Axe #1

The problem is that I’m finding my Infinity enthusiasm waning, which is causing the loss of focus. My enthusiasm for Pathfinder is waxing because I am playing weekly with a group of friends and I have another group of friends looking for me to run something for them. This gave me a reason to research Pathfinder online which pumped my enthusiasm. On the other hand I’ve done all the research I can on Infinity and am just waiting until I’ve collected, assembled and painted my force before I can move on to the next step.

Enthusiasm, it seems, is the amount of mind share that a project demands. I think this is why, for miniature games especially, enthusiasm is so hard to maintain. Once you’ve planned your army, once you’ve plotted or made your purchases, once you’ve thought every thought possible the game loses its ability to amuse your daydreams when you are bored, and you find yourself drifting to other things.

Compounding the problem is that the best way to bring back some enthusiasm is to complete your plans and start making some new ones. For miniature gaming this means painting miniatures and maybe playing a few games. When I get home in the evening from a day of work I want to do the thing I’ve been dreaming about, not something I’m having trouble focusing on.

The solution, it occurs to me, is to find some way to think about whatever project I want to do. Find something to think about, some detail I could examine in those down moments of my day so that when I get home it’s all I can do to wait until my kid is in bed before running downstairs to paint.

Kobold Encounter, image by Tyler Provick featuring map and miniatures from Wizards of the Coast, token art from Fiery Dragon.

Kobold Encounter, image by Tyler Provick featuring map and miniatures from Wizards of the Coast, token art from Fiery Dragon.

Things aren’t all doom and gloom. I’m running a play-by-post Mouse Guard game on the Burning Wheel forum and participating in a live game using Tabletop Forge on Google Plus Hangouts. That project is complete. I don’t have to do anything more than what I am doing to enjoy it. There’s no material I need to buy, no extra preparation I need to perform.

Meanwhile, I stole a few hours today to finish assembling my Infinity miniatures. I will have to proxy a couple of miniatures until the comic store I ordered from gets their act together but I will have a playable if unpainted force. Then I can rotate the miniatures out of my force using more proxies until they are all painted.

All I need to do know is to figure out how to keep focused  on Infinity. That alone should bring Infinity back into the forefront of my mind. Pathfinder I’ve already sorted. I’ve told my friends that I’ll run a 4E campaign using my existing material. The planning for that will make it easy to keep the enthusiasm for Pathfinder at by. Besides, I’m playing that once a week and plan to simply enjoy it while it lasts.

I would love to hear how other people keep a project fresh when all they can do is get down to doing it.

Some of the images, characters, concepts and trademarks on this page are the property of David Petersen. While the images are used with permission there is not stated or implied approval of the contents of this site by Mr. Petersen or his associates.

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More Pathfinder Thoughts

Posted on 5/5/2012 by Coyote

Despite my declared love for Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition (4E from now on) the more I play Pathfinder the more I am having trouble resisting investing in it. It would be easier to resist, perhaps, if Wizards of the Coast isn’t already moving on to a new edition of D&D. There is something about the way that Paizo handles their business that appeals with good support for their product using maps, counters, tokens, pre-painted miniatures and pewter  miniature tie-ins.

It’s like they’re saying, “Come, play our game. Play it however you like.”

I like that.

I will resist, though. My friend running the games owns plenty of material and would surely loan me what I’d need to run the game for him. Lack of support for 4E means nothing to me since I was not planning to buy any more books for it. The things I’m liking about Pathfinder are possible with 4E as long as you remember that rules are not roleplaying. I think it’s time I start planning my game.

One rule of thumb I’d like to apply is something I’ll call “2 after 1.” That is, after a single session all players will reach level 2, regardless of the actual XP earned. I came up with this idea after my Pathfinder GM bumped me to level 2 after a session in his campaign in order to get me equal to the rest of the party. It really made me excited to play in the next session and try out my toys.

Realizing this, and planning to run a game for some infrequent roleplayers, I decided that this was a good rule of thumb in order to quickly invest players in their characters and the game.

Of course, I’m not sure if I’ll be running 4E or Mouseguard for my group. I`m split between the two and haven`t made up my mind.

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Any Videographers in the House?

Posted on 5/3/2012 by Coyote

Previously I had tried to make some painting videos but grew frustrated when I couldn’t get a good, close image that allows people to see what I am doing while allowing me to see what I am doing. I have lights, a camera but just can’t figure out the angles.

I even considered starting a Kickstarter project in order to raise funds for new lights, lens and light stands. While all that would make it easier to get high quality images it won’t solve the fundamental problem of needing my camera and head to share the same space.

The desire to create a painting video was partially responsible for the recent cleanup I did of my hobby room. Perhaps if things were tidy I could find a way to do what I want to do.

Rather than bang my head against the wall I thought I would appeal to anyone with experience or ideas on how I can achieve my goal. I would prefer not to purchase specialist equipment if at all possible. I just need a tip on how to position a camera to film painting. Your reward will be painting videos.

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Discarding the Excess

Posted on 5/2/2012 by Coyote

As I anticipated, cleaning up my hobby area was cathartic and rewarding. I’m not fully satisfied as I’m still lacking a good miniature storage solution. Especially for games with accessories that need to be kept with miniatures such as stat cards. I’ve looked at the various foam storage providers and can never justify the initial cost.

Warhammer 40K Games Day 2001 Kroot Shaper Angor Prok by Games Workshop, painting by Tyler Provick.

For example, I bought two of these guys, painted this one and sold it for a reasonable amount. The unpainted version looks to sell for around $10. Warhammer 40K Games Day 2001 Kroot Shaper Angor Prok by Games Workshop, painting by Tyler Provick.

The other problem I encountered was whether to dispose the unused miniatures from abandoned projects. I have a vague hoarder’s attachment to everything but even when I managed to overcome that I still found the prospect of selling my excess miniatures daunting. I brought a selection of Games Workshop miniatures in their original blister packs up to the computer and started researching prices. When I could find someone selling a miniature the price was not worth the bother.

I’m not sure what I should do. I would love to look in my box of unpainted miniatures and see stuff I want to paint, stuff for ongoing projects or leftovers from finished projects. For example, I have some Heavy Gear miniatures that, if I ever decided to expand my army, I would be excited to paint. These don’t bother me as much as the Space Marines and Imperial Guard blisters I’ll never paint.

Not to mention the random assortment of metal from Games Workshop’s great storage room disaster. I have a bunch of old Eldar Harlequin miniatures from that which really aren’t worth that much. 

On the upside, I did find a box of based but unprimed 1/72 WWII German infantry which I could use to run a quick game of Troops, Weapons and Tactics with my gaming buddies. All I need is some more terrain and I’d be ready to go.

I think I will follow my wife’s advice and just keep it. It isn’t taking up too much storage space. It’s better to look at those projects that still interest me and make sure I’m on the right track. For example, I should decide what terrain I need to run Troops, Weapons and Tactics, acquire it and start playing.

Warhammer 40,000, Eldar, Space Marine, Imperial Guard, Kroot and Angor Prok are ™ and/or © of Games Workshop and are used without permission. No challenge is intended to said trademark or copyright. Games Workshop has not recognized or approved the contents of this website.

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Cleaning Up The Hobby Room

Posted on 5/1/2012 by Coyote

Every time I work on a project in my hobby space it gets a little less organized. Over time things are lost or forgotten and the pressure of the disorder becomes too much for me. This happened to me the other day and the only way I could deal with it is to start cleaning. Once I started cleaning I realized I was just cleaning the surface and decided to do a proper re-organization.

My mess hobby space knee deep in a reorganization.

My mess hobby space knee deep in a reorganization.

For some reason I decided that I was going to do the most thorough job I’ve even done on this space and give it the overhaul it’s never received. I’ve been living in this house for nearly four years and there were still a few boxes that had been packed with hobby stuff during the move that were simply put on the shelf and forgotten. Every box will be opened, emptied and refilled with the labelled and clarified.

Part of the impetuous for this work is the desire to assemble a table of terrain for a couple of projects I am working on. A green woodland for my WWII and 1812 projects and some sci-fi urban terrain for Infinity. Before I started this work I didn’t have the shelf space for any terrain. Now I should have two empty boxes that I can fill with what I need, plus another box for supplies as they build up.

Sadly this means I haven’t done any painting and am probably a few days out from doing more. I will probably create a quick list of all the projects I have with the intention of somehow saying goodbye to anything I know I’ll never get to. That, however, will be a completely different post because it deals with the constant battle I fight against being a pack-rat.

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Improve Your Photography With One Easy Step

Posted on 4/28/2012 by Coyote

Crop. That’s it. Crop your image before you resize them. If that’s good enough for you skip the rest of this post and go paint a miniature, then take an awesome picture of it and upload it somewhere, then come back here and link it in the comments. I’m warning you, it’s three pages.

For everyone else, an explanation.

This image was created by placing the model on a flatbed scanner. Warhammer 40K Space Marine by Games Workshop. Painted by Tyler Provick.

This image was created by placing the model on a flatbed scanner. Warhammer 40K Space Marine by Games Workshop. Painted by Tyler Provick.

When I first started sharing pictures of my miniatures I would put them on a flatbed scanner with a black towel over them. I was able to find an example of this. It wasn’t great, but it worked. It’s not like my painting really warranted more back then. Basecoated with a sloppy wash and the edges picked out again.

Still, I wanted more. I wanted better image quality. So I invested first in a camera and a tripod and I was happy. I then looked at upgrading my lights without much success. Then I upgraded my camera again, upgraded my lenses, upgraded to flashes and umbrellas. I learnt all that I could about photography but I wasn’t making the right connections. I wanted to know how small an aperature I could use and how closely I could focus.

I see many people walking the same path in various miniature painting forums. What equipment? What setup? How much light? Macro mode, depth of field, light tents. You could spend more money on photography than on miniatures and still not get a great image. Good pictures are actually simpler than most people think. Let’s look at an example.

This is the image as taken by my camera, resized to 600 pixels. Infinity Nomad Zero by Corvus Belli. Painted by Tyler Provick.

This is the image as taken by my camera, resized to 600 pixels. Infinity Nomad Zero by Corvus Belli. Painted by Tyler Provick.

Here we see the latest image I’ve taken of a work-in-progress miniature. For light I’ve moved my painting light close above and in front of the miniature, but shooting backwards at a 45° angle. I’m holding a medium silver reflector to bounce some light into the deeper shadows while I trip the shutter with a remote. Camera mounted on a tripod. Exchange the silver reflector with some white paper and the remote with the timer function on every camera and anyone could do this.

My lens is the equivalent of an 80mm lens on a 35mm film camera with a focal range of 18 inches. It is not a macro or even close-focusing lens. Also, in a hilarious case of “do what I say and not what I do” I am not doing what I’m about to suggest. I’m a couple of feet away from the miniature and stopped down to f16 to give me better depth of field. On my camera it gives me acceptable results so I don’t sweat it.

This picture is a good example of what I often see on forums when people try to show their miniatures. You can see that it is painted and get an idea of the quality but you can’t see details. Usually the person will apologize and blame their inexpensive camera or lack of photography skill. I just hijacked someone’s “look at what I painted” thread to make my very next point, which inspired me to write this article.

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