SF0: the game

This is how I spent 6 weeks in summer...

My completed tasks

My team's completed tasks

I love SF0.

Tales of Your Choice

I am writing a choose your own adventure type story, as people vote!  The readers determine the outcome of the stories.

Check it out at:

http://talesofyourchoice.blogspot.com/

Reviews & Ideas: Obsidian Portal website

My next article at Troll in the Corner:  http://trollitc.com/2010/06/reviews-ideas-obsidian-portal-website/

Also at: Reddit

Minis: Lizardmen

This is a work in progress, including the final piece, of a lizardman from the "Reaper 06047 Lizardman Command" pack.

I've done some research into Earth's lizard population... well, I did a google image search for colorful lizard patterns and have decided what to attempt.  I will keep my fingers crossed.

The base color is several coats of a medium blue mix.

EDITED 6/15/10 - FURTHER PROGRESS

Here are some added lizard base-colors:

And now with a little bit of darker outlines:

EDITED 7/6/10 - UPDATES!!

This is with all base colors put on.

And here is with some shading and detail work starting to finish up...

EDITED 9/26/10

Here is the final piece.

Located at: Reaper Inspiration Gallery and CoolMiniOrNot

Reviews & Ideas: Paranoia - Mandatory !Bonus Fun! Card Game

My next article at Troll in the Corner: http://trollitc.com/2010/06/reviews-ideas-paranoia-mandatory-bonus-fun-card-game/

Also at: Reddit

RPG Mini-Movie

I went a little crazy with the stick figure drawings I made and created a little video...

Original Artwork!!

Every RPG needs a few hand-drawn pictures to illustrate it's awesomeness.  The Hackmaster game I run needed a couple illustrations, so I went to it...

Hackmaster Recap Session 9

The recap of April's Hackmaster gaming session has been added to the OP game site.  These write-ups mostly serve as a quick recount of activities and events.  Eventually I hope to polish them, but for now I am happy with just getting the notes out there for my own memory and planning.

http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/hackmaster-glyndael-chronicles/wikis/outline-recap-9

Minis: Good Leather Work

My next mini here I am pretty happy with all around.  Originally I had made the gloves green to also match the boots and shirt, but it was way over the top looking, so I changed them to a light leather.

The back I free-handed the image that is carved into the other pieces.  I think it's "ok" but could have been a tad bit better.

Reaper 02308 Hurin of Anhur
Located at:  Reaper Inspiration Gallery and CoolMiniOrNot

Reviews & Ideas: Abraham Lincoln - Vampire Hunter

My next article at Troll in the Corner:
http://trollitc.com/2010/06/reviews-ideas-abraham-lincoln-vampire-hunter/

Also at: Reddit

Reviews & Ideas: RL Puzzles in RPGs

My next article has posted: http://trollitc.com/2010/05/reviews-ideas-rl-puzzles-in-rpgs/

Also at Reddit

Minis: Light Box & NMM

I made myself a lightbox from scratch, and it's definitely improved the photos of my minis.

Lightbox: A cardboard box, preferably as square as possible. Cut out "windows" (leave 2 inches from window to edge of side) on all 4 sides, cut out the top completely, leave the bottom untouched. Cut up 2 inch long stripes of white paper and glued it to the insides of the box, including the bottom. Tape the sides and back "windows" with a white plastic garbage bag. The front is left open to shoot pictures from. The top is covered with an old piece of cut-up white t-shirt. Shining through the top fabric is a clip-on desk lamp with a 60 watt full-spectrum bulb. Then, take a longer sheet of paper and have it curve from the back towards bottom front of the box, in order for there to be a background with no "crease" in it. Take a look at the photos below with the minis, you can see some of what I mean about the box.

Newest Mini: This was my first NMM armor paint job. I am really happy with this mini, as I feel like I learned a lot painting it. Over at the Reaper forums, some of the feedback I got from fellow painters was that they didn't like my glove color selection, they would have preferred something in orange or red. The finished mini is going to keep the yellow gloves, but I have taken note of their feedback and will keep it in mind for future minis.

Reaper Mini: 02495: Sir Malbeth Blackhawk
Located at: Reaper Inspiration Gallery and CoolMiniOrNot

SF0: the game

At some point I plan on writing about SF0. It is a fantastic site/game.

Here is a link to my collection of completed tasks:

http://sf0.org/ambydextrous/completedTasks/?list=true

Reviews & Ideas: Weather in RPGs

My next article has posted: http://trollitc.com/2010/05/reviews-ideas-weather-in-rpgs/

It is also at Reddit

Reviews & Ideas: Dominion

My first published article at the site "Troll in the Corner" has appeared today.

http://trollitc.com/2010/05/reviews-ideas-dominion/

It is also at Reddit.

Online Planning for RPGs

In late 2009, I was introduced to Obsidian Portal as a website destination for planning, organizing, and progressing RPGs. Deciding to delve into it, I started to do my world building for the Hackmaster Basic game I run monthly. Wow! I really enjoy using this tool quite a bit and would highly recommend it to other GMs.

Some of the things I really like:

* Private GM only notes on all pages and character sheets and GM exclusive pages

* The way the Adventure Log is not in a wiki format, but a blog format

* Wiki-style organizing!

Something I wish they did:

* Have more interactive database-type options for the character sheets

Here is the link to my campaign:

http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/hackmaster-glyndael-chronicles

Minis: Blending & NMM

This is my first painted mini after my determination to improve my painting skills.

I focused on blending techniques on the leather armor bits, shading from green to brown to yellow, trying for smooth changes

The sword is my very first attempt at NMM (non-metallic-metal). It is quite difficult! But I am determined to improve it, so the next mini I'm going to work on has predominately metal armor.

The stones imbedded in the leather armor I attempted to create a "opal" like effect. Considering that my materials consist of ancient paints and shaggy brushes only, I was happy with the result.

Reaper Mini: 02200 "Justine the Holy"
Located at: Reaper Inspiration Gallery and CoolMiniOrNot

L5R Draft Tournament

For the first time in my life, I attended a CCG (collectible card game) tournament. I was worried that I would be instantly pwned, since I am so new to L5R (Legend of the 5 Rings), but my friend who was running the event encouraged me to play. About once a month I had been attending a local meet-up at a game store, to improve my skills, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

Somehow, I missed the "Magic: The Gathering" CCG phenomenon. L5R is the first CCG game I have played and I love the variety of options for game play and victory. I've already begun to see that having the resources and determination to acquire rare cards for one's deck can be quite an advantage, so I am starting to understand that common complaint against CCGs. Being an avid gamer and someone who has attended GenCon for most of the past decade, I must admit I had also heard rumors that CCG players had a tendency to be a bit... fanatical.

I had a really great time with the tournament, I think because it was a "draft", where you build your play deck from a set of cards that everyone is sharing. This eliminates the chances of playing someone who has spent thousands of dollars on their deck, making them near impossible to win against if you are a casual player. During the event, I even won a game! Which I was quite proud of.

There are times when I forget how much older I am compared to this new generation of gamers. I have been gaming since before many of them were born. I'm in my mid-30s now and was playing against young men (only one other woman in the event) that were at least 10 years younger than me. Needless to say that the volume was a bit overwhelming, all these guys were talking very loudly, often talking over one another in boastful ways, and no one really listening to one another. In order to be heard across the table, one had to yell. It made me feel kinda old. "Oh, these kids these days, all yelling all the time... I blame MP3 players for making them all half-deaf!" says the old fogy. My friend running the competition reminded me that they ARE young men, pumped up in a competitive environment, and their nervousness is expressed through volume. He was right and that reminded me to relax.

Being that this drew in players from all over the metro area, I was a little anxious about how some of the players might be. And it happened... "Oh, dude, don't be gay!!" What to do? I've been "out" for almost 20 years, so one would think that my skin would be super thick, but it's not. Every time, it stings me to hear that kinda stuff. I turned around and asked the guy if he would not say stuff like that out of respect for me, his fellow gamer. The two guys that were sitting there said okay. They weren't ever able to make eye contact with me after that, but they were good to their word.

These CCG players are total geek gamers, like the rest of us. I did not find them to be "fanatical" (in the bad ways), but rather passionate, intense, and excitable. I would happily join their company for any future draft tournament... even though my noob self would mostly be fodder.

Minis: New Decade, New Painting

As this new decade is dawning, it was time to finally up my painting abilities. Having been a casual mini-painter, off and on, from around '83 or so, I had achieved a level of competent amateur. There are levels of skill and technique though, that it was time to attempt. This mini was painted for a player in early 2010 for the Hackmaster RPG I run, and was the last one I painted with the skills I had prior to pouring into research...

Reaper Mini 03071: "Halfling Thief"