Super Dungeon Explore is Super!

Hey all,

A quick update for all you Soda Pop fans out there. Got my hands on a Candy and Cola LE Super dungeon explore miniature! Painted it up and thought I would post the goodness for you all. This was available at Gen Con and I am pretty sure that the  nice folks at Soda Pop may be putting this model up for sale at some point.

She comes with a card so she is tottaly playable in Super Dungeon Explore. So keep on hanging on until it is released in October (I'm pretty sure that is the release month).

Peace out and keep poppin those sodas!
Steve (your friendly neighborhood dungeon explorer)

Quarriors - A Review

I had heard good things about it, then I was asked, "How much would you be willing to pay for it". So I bought it. I figured if i didn't like it I could just sell it on Ebay. Honestly, the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw it on the Wizkids website was, " Oh great, we get to go through Dragon Dice again...".

My friends and I broke into the game immediately. It was honestly not what I expected, but in a good way. We got everything out and found quite a nicely put together product. It had 130 beutiful dice, 4 dice bags, a glory counter, a spiffy tin, and some cards.

Once we broke into the rules it took us about 10 -15 minutes to learn to play. This is pretty cool given that none of us had any idea as to how the game worked or even what genre it really was. The rules were pretty strait forward, though they were presented in a possibly inefficient way.

The Basics:
Quarriors is basically a deck building game - with dice. So its a dice bag filling game. You start with 8 white "Quiddity" dice. These are your basic units of currency in the game, they are equivalant to coppers or silvers in Dominion. You also start with 4 brown "assistant" dice. These also provided quiddity but double as a creature (a pawn) and a possibility for rerolls.

You start your turn by drawing 6 dice blindly from your bag and you roll them. Based on what face is up you can do stuff. If its just a teardrop quiddity icon, you get that much currency to summon and buy. If it shows a creature face, you can spend it's level in quiddity to summon it for one turn. If a dice shows a spell face you can put it in your "ready" area for use on your current or future turns. There is also a type of face that allows you to draw more dice from your bag.

Then, any monsters you summoned attack and you can cast spells if you have/want them. This is the cool part. You must attack and you must attack all opponents. You just add up all your creature's attack abilities and go to town. The defender picks a monster to defend with defends, if it dies, your tottal attack is reduced by it's defense and you keep on attacking that opponents monsters. Once you are done, you reset your attack and attack the next opponent. This in my opinion is a pretty cool mechanic.

Finally you can use any quiddity you didn't use to summon to purchase a die from the "wilds". The wilds contain 7 different types of monsters, 3 types of spells and 3 basics. All but the basics are randomized.

Winning
There are two ways to win this game. The first is to score the amount of glory to win at your player level ( for instance with 4 players you need 12 glory, and with 3 you need 15 glory). You score glory by having monsters alive at the beginning of your turn, before you draw and roll your dice. If there are creature dice alive in your ready area you look at their corresponding card in the wild and score the amount of glory they give you.

The second way to win the game is to have the most glory after 4 of the "wilds" monster types are empty of their dice. That is to say people have purchased/captured all the dice from 4 of the monster cards.

What I liked
This was a game that was great fun. I certainly did not expect it. I think the thing I most enjoyed about this game was that I get to roll lots of pretty dice. There is something very satisfying about picking dice randomly out of a big bag and rolling them to see if they do anything cool. This ain't your gramma's Dragon Dice either. The rules are solid. Having come into the well established and well enjoyed genre of deck building games, Quarriors kept it original.

I personally can't fit any more expansions of Thunderstone in my Thunderstone box. I do not believe this will be a problem with Quarriors. Since they use only 5 dice for a specific type of monsters, the expansions should be relatively inexpensive and compact. Sure they might throw in a new type of monster, introducing 5 new dice, but it won't be the massive undertaking that an expansion of Thunderstone will be.

The Art is also something to take note of. Wizkids did not skrimp on this one. In fact the first comment from my friend the proffesional game designer was "Wow, the art is really good" ( speaking of him, pocket kung fu is still in production grumble grumble). In general it is a very bright and aesthetically pleasing game. 

What I didn't like
I am scared of losing dice. I for-see horrible things happening if dice from this game are lost. And as any gamer knows, it's VERY easy to lose dice. I also wish they included a few cloth matts with an Active area and a Ready area on them just so you can keep track of things a little more elegantly.

Also it's expensive. My game store is selling it for 50 USD. I can't complain too much about this though. There are 130 dice in it, probably 53 cards, 4 dice bags, a tin, and a glory tracker. That's a lot of beautiful things and when you consider dice usually go for about $0.50 - $1 a pop the dice alone are probably worth about $65.00.  All in all though, between the product quality, mechanics of the game and general replayability of things there isn't much i don't like about this game. I do believe that this will be replacing Thunderstone at my gaming table quite frequently ( especially once my wife gets a few games of it in...).

What I think
Well i have to give this game  high marks. It is all i have wanted to do since I finished playing a few games. For it's genre I will refrain from a number and tentatively put it at the top of my empirical experience with deck building games ( though I have not had the pleasure of Resident Evil yet). Overall I will refrain from giving it general marks because I want to see how it develops and I feel the knee jerk reaction of "This new game is ROXOR!". All in all I would recommend it to anyone who likes deck-building and/or rolling dice. In fact a few copies of the game sold just because of people watching us play.


EYE CANDY
So i have been kind of down and out with regards to the painting scene. Thankfully I got a few Wyrd miniatures back from Gen-con orders. So without furthur adu the Malifaux avatar Kirai and the Spirit of Lost love.

Next up on the table is Chibified Soda Pop mascot Candy and Cola! ( Yes folks, SDE is almost here!)

Wooden Plank Basing - A Tutorial

Been way too long. Silly real life getting in the way of internet socialization. On the upside I have a better understanding of Evolutionary Biology, which as it turns out is quite interesting. But that's not why you patronize this blog. On to the tutorial. Oh but first, check out my cool new painting set up. I added shelves for the paints and some happy little graphics on the desk. And just as an FYI, that light is a fish tank light.

So for this you will need the usual stock of supplies. You will need some bass wood or plasticard, some glue, a measurment too for your base ( for small bases a nickle, medium: a small base, large a large base), exacto blade, pen and of course glue.

So first we are going to measure our circle of wood. I will be creating a large base for my Pirate Nomad (Warmachine). One you have the circle of your inner base traced, time to cut it out.

 

Now we are going to cut along the grain of the bass wood. Just cut the circle into strips as shown below. This will be the main basis of the wood planking. 

Hu, pretty easy. So now we decide where we wan to have the boards end. So pick one or two boards and cut them, like so; 

Ok now we are going to assemble the planking. Its pretty easy. Start at one side and glue each plank on individually. It will look like the below picture. Make sure you leave a little bit of room between the each board as you put it on the base.

So the only problem I sometimes have is finishing the planking. You may have to trim down the last plank to make it fit. That is just because there was a little space in between each of the boards. so now you should have a wood planked base! 

There are a few other ways to do wood planking but I feel like this is the most economical way. To paint the bases I use the following method. I start with a scorched brown base. I then gradually build up to a bleached bone. Make sure you build up with around 4-8 layers and it will look nice and blended.

And volia! I have a wood planked base for my scary Nomad to sit on!

Bonus Track!

So I play Heroclix, a lot. Recently they came out with Street Fighter Heroclix. I was very happy. I went out and bought a brick. I must say I was not disappointed. Intraset these guys are great representatives for the game. They even come with tiny maps illustrating street fighter levels so you can do the one on one fighting. This method of fighting seems pretty solid, you make your team and fight one on one until all are eliminated.

Of course there is always the Heroclix paint jobs. I can't stand them. Sure a few are ok, tabletop quality maybe. So I did something i NEVER do, i repainted Heroclix. I mean, the sculpts and clear effects are so cool! I present to you, Cammy and Vega;

So until next time, if there is a next time (ya there will be, you just need patience).
Keep pirating those golds!
-Steve

The Girl Who Circumnativated Fairyland.... - A Review

I read a lot of books, they are the single greatest thing to come into existence for mankind. They are even more important to us than sanitation (as professed by the late Donnie Darko). Books shape and influence us from childhood to adulthood. How many have read Ayn Rand and taken that as a philosophy ( not me thankfully) or wanted to go to school at Hogwarts after reading Harry Potter?

Something many do not know about me is that I read and hoard progressive children's books out of a desire to retain my childhood as well as pass them on to the next generation. Children's books are amazing and often exhibit a very different effect on children than they do on adults. For instance, when reading Coraline by Neil Gaimen, children thought it a wonderful adventure while adults thought of it as a horror story, you will just have to take my word for that since I can't seem to find the original article I read that in.

I recently came across The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In a Ship of Her Own Making, by C.M. Valente at my local hobby, gaming and Sci Fi book store. I picked it up immediately. It had the same chapter titleing and witty verbose prose as my, until now, favorite children's book Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C Wrede. To have replaced dealing with dragons as my favorite progressive feminist children's book is an impressive the feet. Cimorene, the main character of the book is quite the kick ass princess. To come up with something that can spare with that girl's adventures is astounding.


I don't usually review books but I felt this one needed it!

Valente's book follows the adventures of a disenchanted young girl named September ( who was born in May) and her adventures in Fairyland. Ya i know, DUH! that's the basically the title. But it is so much more than that too. Valente creates wonderful characters that are dynamic and modern but remember their roots too. And these roots run deep.

The female role models in the book speak of self sufficiency and individuality. September, of course, is the prime model. She is the young girl who has not been told that she can't and if she is, she refuses to listen. She is clever, humble and does not seek approval.

But ever present in September's mind is her mother, who despite never being overtly stated, seems to be a WW2 female domestic mechanic who supports her young daughter and teaches September, normally male, virtues and talents such as engineering, problem solving and self reliance.

The males in her story are not impotent but they are completely real and vulnerable. They are not superlative and they are certainly not without their power. This power is always matched to a female counterpart however.

But enough of the wonderfully feminist aspects of this book. The prose itself is wonderful. While they are verbose the sentences roll off of your tongue in such a pleasant manner many of them scream to be read aloud (and they certainly were). The prose left a smile on my face, like each little paragraph is a gem in of itself and the book in it's entirety comprises a wonderful work of art shining with beautiful inlay.

The book will delight children and adults alike. Though I feel to those males who read it her imagery and choices with regards to similes, metaphors and observations may be a bit jarring. She is a clear example of feminist writing, and I believe it is a choice on her part. It was refreshing to read this book that was unabashed in it's utilization of a subjective female experience to convey the story.

Valente is no one hit wonder either. She may have hit the charts with this book ( New York Times Bestseller) but her other books seem to keep up to par with Circumnavigate. I am currently reading The Orphan's Tale Vol 1 and can't put it down. I am sure I will end up reading more. One nice thing is that you can read a lot of her writing for free, including the first 2/3 of Circumnaviated on one of her many websites.

But Anyway how bout some eye candy? 
I got a few commissions that were recently finished and managed to clear the painting table of buisness ( at least temporarily).The first one is an infinity model and the second is the Soda Pop Miniatures mascot: Candy and Cola!

Till next time, Stay frosty!

Steve (It's my blog and I can talk about whatever I want to!)
*all images are property of their respected authors! Except the last two! Those are mine!

Sorry or The Heartfelt Apology

No, I am not apologizing to anyone.

Recently I was suckered into into playing that old family game Sorry!. While this is generally a fun game for most people, in the face of the other games I play, I felt like I was playing the adult version of Candy Land. 

There were no dice, just cards. The cards told me what to do, but they weren't funny, the art sucked and the rules were way to straight forward.  Then the game was over.  Then my wife said, "let's play again", and i thought, greaaaaat.... That wasn't the end of her sentence though. The end was, "and let's make up a rule to rotate the board." Yes, that is the beautiful woman I married.

My brain started whirring immediately. I mean, I came up a way to play table top diablo with the old GW Lord of the Rings rules. Sorry! would be a piece of cake.

Thus the game "A Heartfelt Apology" was born. This is simply the game of Sorry! with a twist. When someone draws a 5, they must move one of their pieces if possible and you rotate the board 90 degrees clockwise. After this happens each player is playing a new color ( the one in front of them).

Well this turned out to be tons of fun. The game can go either very long, or medium length, depending on weather the people want to screw over everyone or weather everyone works towards winning. There is also a little more strategy involved now. You have to think about what might happen if you end up switching colors and what you should do with your pieces in relation to the other players.  The one little catch to this rule is that if someone draws a 5 to put their last peice into home the board is then rotated and the player to their left wins. Also, when a 5 is drawn someone must say "Change Places!" in a mad hatteresque way.





So i just thought I would share this new way to play sorry with you guys. We had a lot of fun playing it. Give it a try, you might end up killing each other. Seriously though, have fun, be safe and keep sharp pointy things away from the players.

Peace out,
Steve (Who opened the glass casket and found a paintbrush.)

Kings of War - A review

Oh man! Long time ( please accept this You Tube video as an apology) Hand cannon has been going well though. And for all of you following this blog thank you :) here is a preview of the new article I recently finished on a kings of war review.  This is a great game. Something that I believe should replace Warhammer.

What happens when former GW employees decide to break away and indulge their creative desires? No, not genetically altered moles that look like goblins, you get Kings of War. This is a new large-scale table top warfare game that at first glance will have people saying, “Oh that’s just like Warhammer”. If someone sees this game, says that and you are around tell them they are wrong and should feel bad for saying such things. Then hit them with a stick. This is most definitely not Warhammer.

I was fortunate enough to see this newly released UK based game in action. A friendly Boston area player of the game ran some very well done demos at the local gaming store. While going through the process of learning the game the thing that struck me most was the fluidity of the rules. There was little to no referencing of the rules, and game play was concluded in about 45 minutes. I can’t play a game of Warhammer: Warbands in 45 minutes! 

The armies in this game are composed of block units just like Warhammer. The difference is that your units are purchased in blocks: such as 5 troop, 20 troop or 40 troop blocks. These units then have base statistics that are dependent on the size of the unit. During the game no troops are removed from the unit, that unit is either alive or dead. Period. No fumbling with ranking, no piles of dead bodies on the side of the board and it affords many good modeling opportunities.

The statistics of these troops are very easy to read and understand too. If a unit has a melee score of 4 that means it needs 4 or better to hit. If it has 10 attacks it rolls 10 dice. Then to wound you look at the defense stat of your opponent, if it is say a 5, then you need to roll your hits and get 5 or better to inflict a wound. And a unit is destroyed when it reaches 0 wounds right? Wrong.

The only way to destroy a unit is to make it route. A unit tests to route after each wound it takes. How this works is the opponent rolls two dice, and adds the wounds to the result. You then add the wounds and subtract the unit’s “nerve”. If the result is 7 or less it is fine. Above that means the unit is either shaken ( incurs certain penalties on it’s turn) or routes ( dies and is removed from the board).

That’s it. I was shocked. There are of course a few movement rules and simple modifiers on shooting and some special abilities that can modify die rolls but the rules turned out to be incredibly simple. While playing and watching the game in action I found things to run incredibly smoothly and quickly.

There are a number of other simple rules that set this game apart as well. Combat, for instance, takes place only on your turn. After combat one unit is pushed away from the other. There are cool unit upgrades that can be taken too. My favorite being: throwing mastiffs for the dwarves. This “pet upgrade” ( each race has one) is the dwarves taking a dog with a handle, and throwing it at the enemy. The dog then mauls the chosen victim. There is even a model for it! 

So it’s a large-scale war game, expensive right? Well certainly not what everyone is used to spending. The good folks at Mantic games (the producers of Kings of War) have taken their extensive gaming experience and created elegant plastic and resin models that are highly affordable. The scale is even right. No more looking like your knights are riding ponies or your orcs have some sort of huge head syndrome going on. Their army boxes can be procured for as little as $100.00, and that seems, to me at least, to be a fully functioning army.

The models are well thought out too. These aren’t throw-away bendy plastic things that you will never paint. The quality and expression of models is wonderful when you consider the company is new, and it’s a large scale warfare game. In fact I know some people that take these models and substitute them for their logical GW counterparts ( though that was before the game was released…)

All in allthis game rocks. As far as large scale wargames go this is the one to watch. Unfortuantly since it is relativly new you might have some problems finding opponents, but if you have a gaming group that wants to get into it this is the way to go. 9/10 for it's genre. Super fun. 

Now for some eye candy for all you readers out there. 

First of all some Infinity Morats that I did for my favorite client! 

I have been working on some gators too, this one i modded up to look like bowser:

And finally Caliban the Grave Walker with a custom base:

Peace out all, I hope things find everyone well! I will try and post some more cool stuff eventually. I have some pretty cool irons in the fire, I hope they heat up!

- Steve (Terrasaur menace)

Comic Con : Boston

Whew! It has been a long while. My apologizes for my frail promises of reviews and updates on the blog. Handcannon has been keeping me busy and on top of that finals is around the corner. Thankfully Comic con decided to show up this weekend and I found myself there!

The first thing I saw when I walked in was the Operation Comix Relief. These super ladies were thankfull enough for my donation that they took a picture with me. What can I say, Marvel? DC? I swing both ways.

 Guess my wife should have come with me...

There was also a fun little booth at the entrance way where you could shoot storm troopers with Nerf guns! Oh ya, red,? blue? nope, my laserz are orange! A little further down we saw these guys, I ain't afraid of no 80's nostalgia! 

Um, I think there may be a problem with the guy in the middle...

On to the Exhibit hall! It was full of magic, wonder and a duckfull of comic books. The prices were amazing and I was super sad because all those Stephen King Dark Tower comics I bought last year were on sale for $5! Oh sad day. I picked up a few single comics and SkyPirates. I have been meaning to check this out for a while. The Folks there did not disapoint. I picked up the graphic novel, the next two comics and got a free tote bag with a sky pirates logo on it for $20. Super great. 

Meanwhile back in the convention hall, we were too late for the "How to draw comics like a bad ass" with Cho seminar. But that's ok, I hung out with the Hippo from bird man for a while! 

Did ya get that thing i sent ya?

Hmm what to do next? Oh ya go check out the artist alley! Oh man am I glad I did that. Guess who was there? Stan Sakai! The guy who wrote/drew/created Usagi Yojimbo!! The very best samurai comic ever. Stan was super nice and I was kinda non-verbal. I bought one of his sketchbooks and he autographed my 2nd print graphic novel #1, and by autographed I mean he drew me the Samurai  and signed it ! It was quite wonderful to watch him draw the valiant samurai in fluid strokes and in only 30 seconds. While others just got Usagi's head I got the whole bunny!

That's Stan, hes just a cool guy drawing with his pencils and his Keropi pencil box. That. Is. Awesome.

Im pretty sure this was the highlight for me. 

Next up I found Jubilee and Black canary rocking it new school.

Kinda glad she dropped the yellow coat...

Also got to meet Tim Sale and I got a signed Amazing Spiderman from him. Before leaving I stopped by the Comacazi booth and The New England Comic booth to say hi to my favorite employees, friends and comic suppliers. I also caught a glimpse of these guys before I left. 

Glad to see everyone getting along. 

All in all i had a very nice time at the Con. It was much smaller than the other cons I usually frequent ( Pax and Gen con) but a great time non the less. I didn't get to see any of the panels ( there was only one going on at a time) but I got to meet some awesome comic artists (Sale and Sakai only a couple). The only thing i regret is that i could not find Batman Superman Annual #4. Guess I'll have to troll the net for it instead.

The Future:

Still workin' on those miniatures. I hope to double post a few things on this blog and Handcannon soon. In the works is a gator man army (Hordes), still finishing up those Anima models, and I have some Uncharted seas. 

Peace out and keep on baggin those back issues, 

Steve