Thoramel

My wife was sick all weekend so I canceled all my plans and stayed home to take care of her. Since she mostly just slept for two days straight this left quite a bit of time for painting. First thing I got completed was this dog from Iron Wind Metals and 77468: Christina, female cleric. This is a pretty cool figure, but I think it would be a lot more fun to paint in metal. I think the dog is supposed to be a pitbull maybe? Regardless, all the best mutts I've ever had were rottweiler mixes so that's what this became. Next are a pair of kobolds from last year's Dungeon Dweller promo. They're giants compared to the size of other kobolds I've painted. Practically goblins. But that's okay, like people, I don't see any reason why kobolds shouldn't come in a variety of sizes. Finally, I painted up the last of my skeleton gnomes from an OSM miniatures kickstarter I backed a while ago. In addition to a Necrognome and his army of skelegomes (will post the whole group some other time) it came with a Frankengnome's (Gnomenstein's?) Monster. I was a little sad to paint the last of these as I always enjoy having something cute yet deadly to paint on hand (what can I say, I like cats). But in a serendipitous coincidence a whole bunch of killer medieval bunny rabbits showed up on my door within an hour of finishing these! Anyhow, thanks for looking.

Let's see here... Bases: I've only recently starting doing much with bases. The integral bases on the bones miniatures were enough for me. Then I branched out into some figures without a base or with a slotted base and realized I needed to learn what I was doing. I've yet to develop a firm opinion on the subject though since I've only been doing it for a brief time. Brushes: I am rough on brushes. So I go with whatever is cheapest at the art store or just grab a bunch of army painter brushes when I'm at the game store. I typically use between a 5/0 up to a 5. I have been considering investing in a couple of nicer brushes just to see if they are that much better, so it's been nice reading through folks opinions to get an idea of what to get. Coffee: for my work thermos it's a standard drip coffeemaker, for cold brew and when brewing it for beer making it's a french press, for espresso I use a steam espresso maker (thinking of upgrading), and when I walk down to the coffee store for a cup it's a pour over. I've got a stove top percolator but it's been near a decade since I used it. Social Media/Websites: I've got a Facebook and a Reddit account and that's pretty much it. I don't go out of my way to avoid any websites or social media with the exception of the basics (anything hate filled, agenda driven, or likely to put me on a watchlist for going there). Social media is what it is... it can be a fun place to look at pictures of cats, discuss hobbies, and keep up to date with loved ones. Or it can be a toxic cesspool of misinformation, fear mongering, and endless echo chambers. But for the most part ithese sites allow the user to selectively censor what they see. So basically, if I see a use for social media service, then it becomes another tool in the communication toolbox. That being said, Facebook has just become too ad driven of an experience lately, so I find myself using it less and less.

So is this the same as the "KAMB in color" book from their webstore? Is it just a new cover I think the rules are roughly the same as in the color rulebook but with the original art and such. Basically a collector's item.

I use Soundcloud for podcasts on my phone, though I'm certain there are better options. For stuff like DM tips and just discussing the various D&D settings and such I really enjoy The Dungeoncast. They pick a different topic every week and spend a half hour to an hour going into depth on it. Topics vary and include monsters, playable classes, DM tips, deities, etc... pretty good stuff and somewhere around 100 episodes to explore.

ALL HAIL KING TORG!!! The rest of you take a horrible death check.

I did not see this posted anywhere so I thought I'd share. KAMB is an easy to learn, fast paced RPG where you play a Kobold. You die, a lot. They're celebrating their 20th anniversary and are running a kickstarter to re-release the original zine that started it all, but with better rules. I play this every year at Origins in a 100 player game called the Kobold Midnight Massacre and can confirm that it's a great time of silly hijinks and horrible death checks https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/9thlevel/kobolds-ate-my-baby-20th-anniversary-zine-quest

1329!?! I think I stopped counting somewhere around 400 and have maybe only added another 100 since then. But 1329? Whew! About a decade ago I lived near a choke point where a couple of the major flyways in the US intersected and lots of different species would gather to rest before making the final push up to Canada. And I still probably only ever saw added 200 from that busy location. I'm guessing that 1329 is the result of a bunch of travel. Pretty awesome! Those Peterson's guides were great growing up. I like to think many budding naturalists got their first exposure to nature from those books.

Bird books are awesome! If I could be any kind of naturalist, without worrying about paying the bills, ornithology would be the way to go!

I always reccomend 3 things to the aspiring botanist/ecologist. First, learn plant anatomy basics. You can get flash cards for this. Second, get a basic illustrated guide to wildflowers. If you're in North America, Newcomb's Wildflower Guide is a great resource. And third, go wander around the nearest natural area with your book as often as you can. Its surprising, once you know your plant anatomy, how easy it is to pick up at least the basics. Before you know it you'll be all "No, that's not Mimulus ringens, it's Mimulus alatus. See how the leaves are on short stalks?" And then all your friends will quit going on hikes with you because you're too nerdy. Fun times!

Fascinating. Have not seen these in my neck of the woods, but it's only a matter of time. Thanks for the link to that article. I work in a lot of places where people don't normally go and during the growing season I typically have a gaggle of interns following me around. While technically they are all adults, it is still necessary to keep a close eye on some of them to make sure they don't put anything in their mouths. We see a lot of Amanita varieties, several of which look just like the "magic" kind but which in reality cause delusions, paranoia and death. I'm always looking for ways to drive home just how dangerous those are so some college kid a little too used to partying doesn't kill themselves. I think I'm going to put this article into the required reading list for new interns. Maybe it will help.

The horrible cold streak we had last week broke over the weekend and we are now in the 50's (F) with all the ice and snow melting away. This has been good for things like not having to keep the water on in every faucet of the house and getting the dogs to go outside willingly. But now we've got this freezing fog stuff every morning that's making my walk into the office seem like a scene from Bladerunner.

Thankfully I'm not accident prone so I don't have many injury stories. But there was one time I was chasing my dog around the house (she gets all excited and happy when we used to do this) and fell over her when she slammed to a stop mid stairs (scary cat coming the other way). I was running and had enough forward momentum to wind up doing a front flip (completely by accident) over what had essentially become an immovable object in my path. I, surprisingly, landed on my feet across the bottom step and the wall kept me from slamming down face first. Unfortunately, the way my left foot came down on the bottom step it caused the tendon (ligament? Anatomy not my specialty) to snap and take a bit of the heel bone with it. Then that bit of bone was pretty much attached to a now free moving piece of meat under my skin and across the bottom of my foot. It was bad, but manageable until I could get an operation to have it removed. Now that foot is a half size bigger than the other one. My wife, who is extremely accident prone, has not let me live this down in the 8 years since it happened. I've got another injury story involving 4 teens, an icy roof, a sled, a snowdrift, 6 beers, and a pond full of very surprised ice skaters. But that was neither stupid nor embarrassing. That was epic and almost worked.

I was not aware there were mid sections and tails. Guess I'll be digging through their bulk metal bins at Origins again this year.

Taking part in the January/February RPChallenge and thought I'd make a batch post of some of the minis I finished over the weekend. First up are some gnome skeletons from OSM Miniatures. I know they're supposed to be scary and all, but I can't help think of them as hiding behind their pikes, afraid to face the heroes. Next are a couple of Iron Wind Metals sea serpents and a troglodyte. Picked them up from a bulk metal bin and thought I'd go ahead quick paint them up for possible use in a future game. Finally, here's 77480: Durok, Dwarf Ranger from Bones 3. Really enjoyed this one. I think he's going to get used as a scout or guide in an upcoming underdark-ish campaign I've got brewing.

Is this the point where I yell out "O-H" and see who responds? Never seen the Lake Erie Monsters. Or the Bluejackets for that matter. But they're both on my list to check out some time.

Blue Jackets? As in the Columbus Blue Jackets? Does this mean there is another Ohioan on here?

I like to listen to music (most genres) and the occasional podcast when I paint. That's it though. My hobby space is a screen free zone. I don't think the music has any effect on my productivity, though the lack of screens is probably a positive in that department.

Here's an unidentified sauropod of some sort I got out of a bulk metal bin at a convention. It's from Iron Wind Metals and was likely a Ral Partha figure at some point. Although it's kind of small compared to modern minis, I'm going to use it as a Ohmdenosaurus, Magyarosaurus, or some other smaller plant eating dinosaur. It's also my first dinosaur, but I found it really enjoyable to paint. It's making me happy I got a couple of the dinosaurs from Bones 4.

Thanks. I like to think of it as the shambling playground.

Here's what's currently occupying my little bit of controlled chaos. Some pieces are close to being done. Some have only been primed. One is pretty much done except I don't care for the twine I'm using for the swing. Most will likely be finished in the next week or so. And at least one thing I'm giving my self a year to complete.

Incredible.

The spiky bit is usually a lightning rod. The little sphere is actually a vent with holes or slits all over it. Older lighthouses used oil lamps which could create excessive amounts of smoke depending on the type of oil used.

Lots of great stuff going down this February! On Valentine's day a close friend celebrates her birthday and we traditionally go some place swanky and have a good time. This year we reserved the "distiller's room" at a local restaurant/distillery. It's a glass walled room inside the distillery with private service. Typically this is really expensive. But my friend is the older cousin of the head chef. So, score. We had to postpone a NYE party last month due to the flu. But we're throwing a game night on the 15th to make up for it. More party games than strategy. But lots of chili and my wife said she's going to bake cookies. So that's going to be a great time. We've got 3 different contractors coming in this month to measure our kitchen so they can draw up plans and estimates to gut it and remodel. This is a project we had to put on hold a few years ago so getting started is very exciting. The 17th Annual Bob's Bar (cultural hub of the midwest) Extravaganza is on the 23rd. It's a collection of some of the weirdest and rarest beers in the country all tapped on one night. Dozens of kegs will go down. All I can say is thank goodness for Uber. I will be immobile on the 24th. And my birthday is at the end of the month! I have to work, but I've also scheduled a field day to a nice wildlife preserve being developed. So as long as it's not a blizzard I should have an enjoyable day stomping through some winter wetlands. I'll take some pics of the work bench over the weekend for the other question.

If it's as a scheming, powerful sorcerer with well intentioned machinations that create a conflict for the characters in one of the games I run. Then the Merlin template fits. If it's as a wise, old wizard who offers up a heroic quest and gives just enough advice/help to get the players going on a new adventure? Then definitely need a Gandalf type. If it's just someone who can tell some crazy stories around a pint and maybe teach some advanced magic? Well, then Dumbledore fits the bill. But if it's my favorite wizard? Hands down Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully. I like a lot of personality and a great hat helps too.

I needed some drow type critters done up in case my group manages to skip ahead in our current campaign and go straight underground. I also wanted to clear a few more bones minis off my shelf to free up more room in anticipation of bones 4. I know these aren't all dark elves, or even elves, but they all seemed to kind of go together when I put them on the work bench. So three very rapid paint jobs later and I'm ready to do a little underdark-ish campaigning if the group gets there before all the stuff in the darkreach expansion gets to me.