Minis & Modeling Monday - Effin Cool Miniatures

You might recall that I've mentioned Kickstarter projects by John Popson a couple of times on the Saturday Crowdfunding Roundup like the "Big Bastards:80mm Troll Miniatures for 28mm scale games" and "Metamorphosis Alpha™ 28mm Miniatures," both of which have successfully funded (and more).  Both are the works of Effin Cool Miniatures here.

John was recently in town on business, so I invited him to join our weekly group for a bit of gaming.  We had a game of [redacted] (2010) planned, something we'd tried to get on the table in the past but it hadn't worked out.  We got it on the table that night and I'll have a brief writeup on the game this Saturday.  Short version: We had fun!  While John was here, I was also able to secure a set of the Big Bastard minis for myself and plan to get them to the table soon.  More on that as it develops as well.

While they were early in production, John asked the fine folks at Pennyfew Painting to do a number on one (this one is called "Plash!") so folks could see how it turns out.  Here's a preview below, with a dwarf mini for scale (these trolls are huge!), but there are even more picutres here.

My sincere thanks to John Popson for his friendship and for joining us last week at the game table.  He is a welcome addition any time he is in town.  I know we'll enjoy getting to catch up again at Gary Con VIII!

Minis & Modeling Monday on MFWARS.com 

A look at prepping and painting Miniatures,
crafting buildings and paper Models,
and other non-terrain stuff for the tabletop.

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Tabletopper Friday - Cutthroat, Marmoreal, & Grizzled

Over on leagueofgamemakers.com, a recent article declared "Cutthroat Kingdoms Goes to Gen Con" telling of the journey to the big show here.

Also, on escapistmagazine.com, they wrote and article titled "Ernest Gygax Jr.'s The Marmoreal Tomb Brings "Gygaxian" D&D to Kickstarter" even as this juggernautic Kickstarter campaign was getting its early steam.  Read more here.

Finally, on the Watch It Played YouTube channel, they have uploaded a video on How to Play Grizzled.  Enjoy!

Tabletopper Friday on MFWARS.com 

Mostly about card games and board games,
unless they have a decidedly wargamey feel.

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Minis & Modeling Monday - Tony DiTerlizzi Teams with Dark Sword Miniatures

From Dark Sword Miniatures with Tony DiTerlizzi . . . three teasers leading up to today . . .

"I am very excited to announce our next premium pewter miniature range based on the wonderful and whimsical artwork of Tony DiTerlizzi. This is something that Tony, myself, Tom Meier and Dave Summers have been working on since late 2014. Should be a really fun pewter miniature line for painters, gamers, collectors and everyone in between. Tony is an old school miniature enthusiast like myself so this has been a lot of fun indeed. We hope folks like the range as much as we do. So spread the word as this is coming soon!"

"Our second Teaser picture for the upcoming Tony DiTerlizzi Masterworks Miniature range project from Dark Sword Miniatures launching on Kickstarter Monday June 8th. Spread the word!"

"And the final teaser image before we go live with the Tony DiTerlizzi Masterworks Kickstarter project on Monday June 8th around 5pm CST. This will be a premium pewter miniature range like our other four projects we have run and delivered backer rewards ahead of schedule on. The studio model below was painted by Jessica Rich and sculpted by Tom Meier."

The Dark Sword Miniatures Kickstarter profile is here.

Minis & Modeling Monday on MFWARS.com 

A look at prepping and painting Miniatures,
crafting buildings and paper Models,
and other non-terrain stuff for the tabletop..

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Systems Saturday - Holy Roman Empire (1984)

Originally published in The Wargamer Magazine, Issue 33, Holy Roman Empire (1984) by designer Mark McLaughlin has received the "calandale" treatment, which is to say that a series of very long videos giving a very in-depth look at this old school wargame is available through his YouTube channel here but I've put together my own "Public" playlist for the videos here.  He has done this in time to herald a Kickstarter which has a few days left and is already funded here under the name One Small Step Games.

The description of the original on Board Game Geek is as follows:

A political and military game of the Thirty years war (1618-1648) that plunged Germany and Europe into one of this longest and most destructive wars.

Up to six players control the major powers of the era, fielding armies, building navies and engaging in diplomatic intrigue, bribery and treachery that will decide who will wear the crown of the Holy Roman Empire and control Germany.

Powers represented are Austria, Palatinat, Bavaria, Sweden, Spain and France.

Game design has come a long way in the thirty years since this was originally released and it's good to see Kickstarter being used to give this game new life.  The game seems to be in good hands and I like how the whole package is being re-envisioned.

Systems Saturday on MFWARS.com 

A look under the hood of various Games, Rules and Systems.

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Nostalgia Thursday - Car Wars (1981) Drives On

Car Wars (1981) by Steve Jackson Games is one of those classics that has stood the test of time.  Recently refreshed with Kickstarter for Car Wars Classic Arenas, there is also a 6th edition in the offing (as heralded by the official website here).

Nostalgia Thursday on MFWARS.com 

Focusing on the roots of current tabletop gaming
with an eye toward the last century and before.

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The Sunday Miscellanea - Character Dice, LED Dice, & Healing Potion Dice

Over on rpgshop.com, you can find some nifty Specialty Character Dice in the form of a d10 here.

Also, technabob.com shows us how a "Critical Hit LED Dice Set Flashes When You Roll the Big Number" here.

Finally, over on Kickstarter, a "DICE!! Cure / Heal Dice!! for RPGs" project by Andy "Cosmo-Joe" Watkins has a week and a half to go if you want to get in on the funding here.

The Sunday Miscellanea on MFWARS.com 

Essentially, a clearinghouse for topics on MFWARS.com

not covered elsewhere or wanting a particular focus.

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Wargaming Wednesday - Fief: France 1429 (2014) Rewarded

About a year ago, I mentioned a Kickstarter project heralding the wargame Fief: France 1429 (2014) here.  As it happens, several of my friends jumped in on that one and are now receiving their rewards.  As such, I thought it time to take a closer look at this promising game.

The description from Board Game Geek is as follows:

Fief: France 1429 is a game of dynastic ambition in which players assume the roles of nobles in the 15th century kingdom of France. Each player strives to become the most powerful ruling force in the kingdom by gaining control of Fief and Bishopric territories. In turn, they acquire Royal and Ecclesiastical (church) titles which give their families influence to elect the next Pope and King. Players strengthen their positions by negotiating marriage alliances between their families, setting the stage for love, treachery and deception!

Fief is a classic French-language game and is being re-introduced by Academy Games in English with updated rules, new units, a new and larger consolidated map, and more. This edition also includes additional components, which enhances game play.

The game board represents a portion of the Kingdom of France in the Middle Ages. Villages have square outlines that are connected by roads that allow Lord and Troop movement. The villages are grouped into eight colored background areas that represent individual Fiefs, which are domains given to Lords to preside over. Fiefs have different colored backgrounds and Bishoprics have heavy bordered outlines that include several different Fiefs. Each village also belongs to one of five church Bishoprics; each Bishopric is outlined with a heavy border line and is numbered between 1-5 along the edge of the board inside a Bishop's Mitre.

Each player controls up to four family members, comprised of male and female nobles. These family members will rise in power by gaining Royal and Ecclesiastic Titles.

In Fief: France 1429, a player may attempt to gain control of all the villages in a Fief to gain the Royal Title of Baron, Earl or Duke. For each Fief a player controls, he gains 1 VP. These Titled Lords may now take part in the election for the next King. They may even be a candidate to become King, thus bringing 1 VP and more power to the family! Other members of your family may follow the calling of the Church to gain the Ecclesiastical Titles of Bishop and then Cardinal. These titles allow you to Tithe Bishoprics, taking the Church's (i.e. "your") fair share of income from other Fief Lords! The highest goal your clerical family member can attain is to be elected Pope, bringing 1 VP and special privileges to your family!

You win the game as soon as you have 3 VPs. This is easier said than done and you may need to form alliances with other players through diplomacy and marriage to obtain your goal. When one of your family members marries a noble of another family, the two of you become allied. You now win the game together with 4 VPs and cannot win alone, unless your marriage is annulled by the Pope or your spouse is "mysteriously" murdered or dies of some other foul means!

In addition to being wary of your fellow players, you may draw event cards that can quickly change your destiny. Bounty Event cards are beneficial to the Player and include "Good Harvest", "Good Weather" and "Added Taxes" cards. But some cards are Disaster Cards that can randomly effect all players in specific Bishoprics. These include "The Plague", "Heavy Rain", "Famine", and "Peasant Uprisings"!

Income can be increased by players imposing church tithes on their opponent's villages or taxing their own Fiefs. Players may purchase new Fief titles, improve their village incomes with mills, and fortify their cities.

Players will also need to protect their land and castles. Men at Arms and Knights can be purchased, as well as Siege Engines. If you feel that other players are not running their Fiefs as well as you can, you may try to invade their territories! But you must risk one of your family members to lead the troops into possible battle, where they might be killed or taken prisoner. If two opposing armies are in the same village square, a Battle may be initiated. The players assess the size and strength of their armies, which determine the number of Battle Dice each may roll. Each "f" rolled is a hit. Men at Arms are defeated with one hit, while Knights require three hits to be removed from the battle.

That's a fairly extensive description and I don't have much to add other than I hope to play a game or two this month and will make a Systems Saturday blog post after I do so.  I hear the game looks wonderful and the components do not disappoint.  It is nice to be able to give a glowing report to a completed and rewarded Kickstarter as well.  The timing on this being shipped is also good since BGG has just posted their Spiel 2014 interview video with Uwe Eickert of Academy Games just yesterday.  Enjoy.

Wargaming Wednesday on MFWARS.com 

A closer examination of board and miniatures Wargaming.

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Nostalgia Thursday - Classic TSR Module Covers

Over on the Art of the Genre website, there's a wonderful list of the "Top 10 Classic TSR Module Covers from 1981-1987" here.  While you're there, take a peek at Scott Taylor's revamped Kickstarter for his 1E AD&D Folio project!

Nostalgia Thursday on MFWARS.com 

Focusing on the roots of current tabletop gaming
with an eye toward the last century and before.

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Terrain Tuesday - Red Kobold's Blue Dungeon Tiles

After running a very successful Kickstarter that funded last April, Red Kobold has been fulfilling their funders' backing this week and even put their wares up for sale through their website here.

Terrain Tuesday on MFWARS.com 

For purposes here, the term Terrain is used broadly
to cover 3D and 2D maps, foam, felt, and such.

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Terrain Tuesday - Giant Doors, Terrain Carpet, & Mapmaking Links

Dungeonmaster Mark has a new video showing off the "Griffin Tamer Studio- kickstarter pieces."  Enjoy.

Over on the San Francisco Intl Airport website, they have a brief feature on a "digital, aerial image (. . .) woven into a woolen carpet displaying 50 miles of the Sacramento River and recalling the experience of flight."  Would be a heck of a place to play a wargame.  See more here.

Over on Tumblr, there's a repost of mapmaking links that I believe was first compiled by elizaabennet, though I was a bit confused by the crediting on the page.  Check it out here.

Terrain Tuesday on MFWARS.com 

For purposes here, the term Terrain is used broadly
to cover 3D and 2D maps, foam, felt, and such.

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The Sunday Miscellanea - d20Pro Unlimited Virtual Tabletop Kickstarter

One particular Kickstarter I missed sharing yesterday, as part of the Crowdfunding Roundup that ends early before the next one, is the d20Pro Unlimited Virtual Tabletop project by Mesa Mundi Inc.  Given the nature of the project, it makes sense to add it in on the corner of the CMG Blog Triad to make sure it gets in front of the eyes of those potentially interested in it.  It's already well-funded but getting in before it is over affords a patron many benefits at a great savings.  The image below is from the legacy edition but gives a good idea what sort of virtual tabletop is in the works for those looking to join in the funding.  See more here.

The Sunday Miscellanea on MFWARS.com 

Essentially, a clearinghouse for topics on MFWARS.com

not covered elsewhere or wanting a particular focus.

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RPG Dice for the Visually Impaired

There is a new Kickstarter titled "RPG Dice for the Visually Impaired" which you can check out here!

Third Gaming Paper MegaDungeon Kickstarter

Gaming Paper MegaDungeon 3 - Sewers is the third MegaDungeon and ninth time around on Kickstarter for Erik Bauer and Gaming Paper, all previous efforts proving quite successful and well-received. See more here!

Munchkin Bricks Kickstarter

Looks like the goal set for the Munchkin Bricks Kickstarter is easily attainable, so I wonder how much it will go over.  See more here!

Just for Kicks - Kickstarters for Gamers

There are  a number of Kickstarters coming to a head, all of gamer interest though only two are actually game products, one old and one new.

First up is one I mentioned recently called "Combat Description Cards for Storytellers and GMs" by Conflict Roleplaying.  This nifty project has had wonderful success and enters its final hours today already well funded.  The name says it all but go check out the extras and see if you might want to jump in before it is over here.

Next up, "The Dangers of Daggermore, a Fantasy RPG film" by Hal Burdick. This one struggled a bit but is funded and could use some gamer-love as it runs through its last few days. Have a look here.

Also, and old favorite, "City State of the Invincible Overlord" by Judges Guild is getting a fresh coat of paint and is well worth your time and money to back.  See more here.

Finally, not a game but a beer project inspired by gaming called "Satyr Stein Homebrew" by Don Dehm, President of Pulp Gamer Media.  The video is a fun watch and the project seems like a real winner too.  Enjoy that right here!

Combat Description Cards from Conflict Roleplaying

There is a Kickstarter titled "Combat Description Cards for Storytellers and GMs" from Conflict Roleplaying that is really neat and already well funded. See more here!

Dwarven Forge's Caverns Kickstarter

If you were going to get on board for the "Dwarven Forge's Caverns - Dwarvenite Game Tiles Mini Terrain" Kickstarter, your chance is almost over.  See more here!

Dwarven Forge's Caverns Kickstarter

Is it ever even a question if Dwarven Forge's Caverns Kickstarter will break the one million dollar mark?  See more here!

Dwarven Forge's Caverns Kickstarter

If you have been waiting for Dwarven Forge's Caverns Kickstarter, wait no more for it is here and already well-funded!

War of Kings Kickstarter

There is an already-well-funded Kickstarter boardgame project with a couple weeks to go called "War of Kings." See more here!