Things are finally settling down over here, and I'm able to actually have weekends again.

I printed out my article for the OSFMAPA Journal #2 and mailed it off, which I'm excited about (If you're a fan of Frankenstein, you might get a kick out of it). I hadn't been inside a Kinkos/FedEx Office for almost a decade, and was positively thrilled at how easy it was to put a PDF document into print. Definitely gives me hope for my zine idea.

I was able to put in some time on the new site, and finally have a plan for organization. I did try a few CMS systems, but none really have a smooth enough learning curve and simple output for me.

The first glimpse of 5th Edition is out and about, and although nothing will match the simple beauty of Moldvay Basic, I think it reads OK. I was never a fan of 2E and hate 3E, but it seems much more adventure friendly. My main takeaways from the Playtest docs...

Read the rest of this post »

Just some news:

• I've been out of the loop on some of the classic game channels, and missed the untimely passing of Maria Oliva Deltorre, who's Olmanifesto blog is just one part of her efforts to bring new life and real research to the Olman people of Tamoachan. My condolences to her friends and family. Adventure research has lost a great contributor.
• Congrats to OGRE, for getting a mention on Boing Boing.
• The Old School Fantasy Miniatures Amateur Press Alliance has only one copy left of their first issue, and it's up on eBay... check it out:
  http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130690301459

That is all.

Quit bullying people over zines and read:

http://montecook.livejournal.com/251404.html

...and for those of you with plenty of Tums on hand:
http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?t=22606

...and a Dragonsfoot thread:
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=55839 

I'm still holding on to the hope that WotC is focused on adventures (you know, those things that pay Paizo's bills).

Although I love painting minis, and am awed by the sights at Massive Voodoo or Cool Mini or Not, I'm not a fast painter. I use enamels and rely a great deal on using washes and drybrushing, so there are a lot of steps for me. I envy those that can sit down and crank out quality paint jobs in a timely fashion.

Dangerous Brian, who you know from his blog, operates a great painting service: Lead Legion. As much as miniatures and the craft of painting are wondrous to me, I do believe that time is at a premium and prepainted miniatures are becoming a necessity, so painting services are something to consider.

For those curious, below is some info you might be interested in:

Location and Acquisition:
Lead Legion is located in the United Kingdom (West of Scotland). Although you may think that overseas shipping is something of a hurdle, the UK is still the center of activity for miniatures. Brian offers a great Army Buyer service that he recommends for customers in the Canada and the United States.This can present a significant savings if the miniatures supplier is in the UK. Lead Legion acquires the miniatures from the UK vendor, so Brian pays UK retail prices, avoiding the policy that some vendors have of charging a premium price for overseas customers.

Turnaround Time:
Lead Legion estimates a painting turnaround time of 8-10 working days, not counting the delivery time for shipping. For large orders or full armies, Brian will provide an estimated finish date.

Cost and Currency:
The exchange rate for those of us in the United States is unkind these days. Keep a currency exchange link on hand and check out Lead Legion's pricing page.

Delivery and The Pond:
While Lead Legion prefers to use the UK's Royal Mail and partner agencies, delivery service levels and handling can vary from country to country. To support a good experience, Brian will honor your choice of delivery service, so don't be afraid to choose what works best for you.

Lots of Scales Supported:
A growing number of tabletop gamers are exploring smaller scales these days. My latest personal obsession is with 6mm figures, but I think RPG gamers might find a 'sweet spot' of quality/cost/selection in 15mm or even 10mm (you have seen what's offered by Copplestone and Pendraken in smaller scales, right?)

Recent Reaper Note:
Don't forget the new Reaper Bones series of low cost, pre-primed figures that can be found here. The combination of Reaper's new stuff with Lead Legion's quality painting could be a great opportunity to build a big mass of kobolds, skeletons, and orcs!

Below are Brian's recommendations for good UK suppliers of miniatures:

• 15mm.co.uk - Great Fantasy 15mm minis. I had great service from these guys, who have a great fantasy tabletop selection worth a peek.
• Artizan Designs - 28mm Historical.
• Black Tree Design - 28mm Historical and Fantasy.
• Copplestone Castings - Amazing 15mm minis. I got some incredible 10mm fantasy miniatures - great service.
• Critical Mass Games - 15mm Sci-Fi.
• Crusader - 28mm Historical, with ranges for Fantasy and Wild West.
• Denizen Miniatures - 25mm Fantasy and Science Fiction.
• EM4 Miniatures - 28mm Science Fiction.
• Foundry - Fantasy, Urban, and even Judge Dredd.
• Games Workshop - The Big GW... love 'em or hate 'em.
• Gripping Beast - 28mm Historical.
• Ground Zero Games - Some of the coolest spacecraft miniatures in the world - for Full Thrust gaming.
• Magister Militum - 6/10/15/20/25/28mm miniatures, mostly historical.
• Musketeer Miniatures - 28mm Historical.
• Pig Iron Productions - 28mm Science Fiction.
• Perry Miniatures - 28mm Historical.
• Ramshackle Games - 28-32mm Minis.
• Warlord Games - 28mm Historical.
• Xyston (a branch of Scotia Grendel) - 15mm Historical.

If you've been thinking about painting services, give Lead Legion a look!

If I 'unfollow' via Google, please don't be alarmed.

I'm going back to using regular browser bookmarks while I work on a custom aggregator.