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After some interesting plumbing adventures the family and I are out of the house for the next couple weeks while repairs are made. Knowing that I'd need something to do in the evenings I had to make a tough call. I could gather up my painting supplies or I could grab one box, a knife, glue, and clippers. I obviously chose the easier route. So during our little forced vacation I'll be assembling the Robotech RPG Tactics starter box and giving you my thoughts on it. Not that I think anyone particularly wants to hear my thoughts on it, but if I'm going to build all this I'm going to talk about it. Before we jump into it I do want to mention that if you've ever heard anyone talk about this set I'm probably going to say a lot of the same things. I do however think I bring at least one new idea that somewhat redeems this box or at least changes the way you think about it. Right off the bat I've got to say it does have a nice box. It's fairly solid and the art not only on the outside but on the inside is a nice little addition. When I first bought the box it was my intention to build the three configurations of a Veritech and stop. I already have too many projects and this was to be the reward after completing everything else. You better take a look at them before I start ranting. It was during the build of these first three models that I couldn't help but notice problems, you know the very ones we'd all already been warned about. The instructions are not always clear, all you get for each model is a deconstructed picture that can leave you guessing. Then to make it just a little more fun some components that are shown as being multiple parts just aren't. There is nothing like searching a sprue for a piece needed to complete a part before you realize its already attached. Then of course when it comes to "fiddly" bits these may be the fiddliest I've ever seen. There are a ton of parts that are tiny to the point of the simple act of removing them from the sprue breaks them. Remember this because we'll definitely be coming back to it. Even the larger pieces have their problems though. Most of the bigger pieces are multi-piece parts for no real reason. Maybe they're there to lull you into a sense of false comfort right before you start in on the "fiddly" bits. Now we come to the sprues themselves. They're not exactly horrible minus the times when you break a "fiddly" bit trying to remove it but they're not great. After only assembling three I really wondered how they'd stand up to use on the tabletop. Even for display pieces they feel fragile. The detail is there but the construction and contact points are just bad, again we'll get back to that. Confidence was not high after the first three figures. Then came about our impromptu vacation so I pressed on with the assembly and next up were the other Macross defenders, you know the cannon fodder, the Defenders and the Tomahawks. This is where I hit my stride. Overall I assembled them quickly, with many of the same complaints, but by then I'd become familiar with the idiosyncrasies of the set. It's also where I had the revelation that completely changed my attitude. You see these aren't miniatures and they really aren't game pieces, they're models. Models complete with all of the "fiddly" bits and needless multi-piece assembly you could expect. Once I started to think of them as models it bacame easier to accept the flaws and oversights. I couldn't exactly forgive or forget them, but at least they made a kind of sense. They're made like a Gundam model where the real accomplishment isn't in building it, it's in the fact that during the assembly you never threw it against the wall. Armed with my new outlook I started work on the special Zentraedi models. Even with the new outlook there were issues. Here are some "fiddly" bits I broke while removing them from the sprue. See just how tiny some of them are? Oh and remember those contact points I mentioned? That's how a leg attaches, a leg, you know the thing that is meant to support the whole model. Eventually I did complete the three special models however. After reading all that it would be easy to think I hate this box. It'd be even easier to think I wouldn't recommend it. Even with all the issues however that isn't the case. I think under the right circumstances, I can recommend this to everyone they just have to meet certain criteria. Firstly you need to be a fan, because you'll need that love of the source material to keep going. The box needs to be on discount (bought mine for about $50 and that seems fair). It also helps to know exactly what you're getting into; before buying I'd already heard plenty of horror stories (still ended up buying it and I'm glad I did). Finally you need to think differently about the figures themselves, honestly once I started thinking of them as models like Gundams or even highly detailed planes everything bacame easier. If you check all of those boxes this is probably right up your alley. Don't ask me about gameplay however I already know I'll never find someone to play with, I just wanted the models.

Hi gang. I always have trouble with finishing minis if they take too long. Groups of minis are a frequent struggle for me. What kind of advice do you have to avoid burnout? I try to mix things up to stave off the exhaustion and tedium. I typically switch off between working on groups of minis, to just doing one at a time. Small minis to big minis. Detailed minis to simple minis. I'll even avoid things that are the same color back-to-back. Anything to help avoid getting sick of painting. But I have a harder time just getting through a group of minis. I'll try breaking them into sub groups, or just focusing on painting everything of the same color like all of the wood, or all the leather. Maybe I'm just tired in general, but I'm definitely feeling worn down on my current set, which is a shame because I am excited to see them finished. What advice do you have? How do you avoid burnout? How do you get yourself to just keep painting?

Hi all. Was hoping you could help me find a mini. I have a player in an upcoming game of D&D who wants a flying monkey as a familiar. I'm having trouble finding a good option. I'm surprised how few options there are. I'm looking for one with feathered wings as opposed to bat wings. And something without a fez. Minimal clothing is okay (a vest or some bracelets) but in general looking for something that's more like a wild animal. STLs are okay. But physical is better. Thanks in advance!

Looking for some advice on using inks in painting. So I've seen people using inks and spouting praise about their uses with mini painting. Especially for glazing purposes. I got a set of cheaper inks last christmas, but they really didn't play nice. They were constantly rehydrating. Even with a protective layer of spray varnish. As soon as I painted over top of it, the color would bleed back up. Anyone know what I was doing wrong? Or if I was using a kind of ink that wasn't compatible? I bought a set of 10 colors from amazon - ZZKOKO caligraphy pen ink. I got an airbrush recently and have heard that white ink results in smoother zenithal than traditional white paint. Any words of warning?

Picture them in your head. Crazy, evil cultists. Secret meetings, twisted plots, midnight masses in service of the unthinkable. Got it? What color are their robes? I'm about to start painting a group of cultists and I'm having trouble deciding on a color. I don't want the color to be indicative of their allegiance, I want them to be able to stand in for any group of evil cultists. So I want to put it to the Forumites: What color says, "that's an evil cultist," without having it say, "That's a cultist of (blank)?" What color robes do you wear when you worship your dark Deity of choice? What color looks great, even if it covers 90% of the miniature?

Hey! So I've been putting paint to minis for about two months, and I've yet to finish one up satisfactorily. So I thought I'd come here and ask y'all for some C&C for a struggling newbie. The Tiefling is an NPC baddie for my DM, and I'm struggling trying to get more detail on his face. I tried adding highlights to his t-zone to make it less flat but getting detail in such a tiny space is driving me mad. I'm also not happy with the highlights on the tail. How do ppl do faces on minis without much detail to the sculpt? I've been struggling with transitions and blending/glazing. On the mouseling the transitions are supposed to be glazing but it just comes out more of a wash with a heavy load of pigment where it settles. I've tried wet blending, but I don't know how to get that on smaller or more detailed/textured areas. I'm a lot happier with my skelly boys, and I'm going to try NMM on the swords. I'm wondering how to reduce the shininess on the varnish (the middle one). I'm using Vallejo matte varnish, but there are still reflections under light. Thanks so much if you've read down all the way here! I know I've got a long way to go, so I'm looking forward to any and all C&C. Edit: Cut this down to just the ones I'm not happy with, and need advice on.

Warnings first, this image is linked for nudity. I would like to ask for advice on this mini. I might be finished or I might have to go back and paint her all over again. I wanted her to look like bare wood, like raw lumber because she is part of the tree. I wanted it to look kind of like she was the inside wood of the tree coming out through the bark but I think she ended up looking a little like regular skin. So my question is does she look okay or should I paint her green instead to keep her from looking human? Thanks for any advice you can offer. Please also be advised, it isn't the best image but it gets the idea across. https://imgur.com/a/5CNeff6

So the stars have aligned and Mudgullet has been released just in time for my group's Tomb of Annihilation playthrough. I'm planning on going for a simple, suitably froghemoth-y color scheme but have realized that my palette is lacking in the greens department. Oh, no! So, time to remedy this. What should I grab from the MSP and Bones paint lines to give me a good selection of greens, while limiting the number of colors I need to buy (maybe 3-5 bottles this purchase)? What are some of the colors you folk tend to reach for, with an eye towards versatility? The Power Palette is only as good as the swatches it pulls from, and it's been my experience that Reapers paint swatches are very hit or miss, unfortunately. Thanks!

I hear horror stories about people getting frozen bottles of paint. Is there any way to tell if the paint has been frozen prior to using it? I was concerned about this when I did my holiday paint order, but it was a little unseasonably warm the day they were delivered. What does frozen paint look like & is there a way to salvage it if it has been frozen?

Hi guys, So I got a greater number of Infinity Aleph minis from a guy who doesn't find them fit to his playstyle. Anyway - I decided to create my own bases, opposite to the clean and attractive style of the Aleph minis using some kind of a long lost and ruined city. Like this: I also got Atalanta and her SpotBot and I think that this spotbot has quite a personality and I want to create his base accordingly. (Picture for reference) So I thought that it would be fitting to have some kind of robot head or so he could stare at. (Like to 2b in the picture below - but being a mechanical rabbit with sad eyes). So I thought about using a space marine head but I don't find it fitting to the whole setting and it would just disappear between the rubble and the debris I prepared for the base. And it wouldn't match the style of Infinity. On the other hand - I tried using a bandai mecha/gundam head and it is way too big for a 25mm base. Does anyone have an idea which could help me solve the problem?

I'm not a war gamer even though my GW collection seems to keep growing. My local shop doesn't do any wargaming, it's basically a Magic the Gathering shop. In all honesty I was surprised they were hosting D&D Adventure League when I started playing there. Lately though after AL a bunch of us have been sticking around till close playing other games. Munchkin and Star Realms are pretty popular but we do get into other things from time to time. Those two just tend to be our go to games at the moment. Since I started painting I've been watching a lot of videos on the hobby and one of the channels I've been watching is Tabletop Minions. If you've ever been there you know they talk a lot about war gaming and skirmish games. Well today that lead me to a skirmish game called Song of Blades and Heroes. It looked like a lot of fun with a very small learning curve. Basically it looks like something I'll be able to convince my group to try. Recently I became a DM for our group so I already have enough miniatures to create multiple "groups/troops/bands"(not sure what the proper term is for this game). So really all they have to do is give it a try, there is zero buy in for them. Does anyone here play this game? Is it as easy to learn as I've been lead to believe? I picked up the gist of it pretty quickly but will players be able to pick this up on the fly? As skimish games go how does this one rate? I've already ordered the books, both the revised and the advanced editions so I'm in either way but I'm interested in seeing if anyone else plays this.

My wife and I have been interested in playing in an actual campaign for some time now, we enjoy Adventure League but we want more. We'd like to roleplay more and not be switching between characters all the time. My wife played with a group for a little while and they are getting ready to start a new campaign and asked if we would be interested. We talked about it and decided to join the group. Our first session is on the second of the year, so there has been a lot of back and forth between the players and the DM already. During the initial talks my wife put us both down to play barbarians with myself playing a dwarf specifically. I even built it early so it would be done and ready. That was fine for a few days but then the DM "requested" we play anything other than ordinary Player's Handbook races and he's really pushing us to play monster races. So I went along with this and remade my character. Then the DM "requested" that if we played barbarians we shouldn't pick totem or besereker, the PH options. Okay, so I rebuild again. Now the "request" is that we advance to level five and pick some magical items. He wants us to have an uncommon and a rare with the stipulation that the rare item should be our defining item (like excalibur for King Arthur). This is all in addition to the usual of coming up with a backstory, which you need to do for any game anyway. At this point I've made my character three times and frankly now I don't even want to play him. I'll admit I play dwarves a lot and the same can be said for totem barbarians. I roll poorly so being able to recklessly attack helps a lot, and the damage reductions for bear totem barbarians are nice too. So I started out excited to play and had an idea for a fun character. Now I don't want to play what I've built, especially for a long campaign and at this point I'm a little leary of the DM. If this is how character creation has been I'm fairly sure I don't want to play in this game. Should I back out now and hope they find a replacement? Should I go and potentially end up backing out after a few sessions? I don't want to waste anyone's time or screw over my fellow players or DM. I just can't help feeling that this DM won't be my cup of tea.

Okay, so I am going to be painting up this guy soon: I'm curious about what colors to use for the snow on the snowman. It doesn't seem to be a pure white (which makes sense) but I couldn't tell really what colors were used. I know that blues and even really dark blues, are often used for shadows (I know that Nightmare Black is actually a favorite of at least one forumite), but its the "white" that has me unsure. Any ideas? (as for the base, I realize that there are a number of options for putting snow on the base). As always, thanks in advance for any help?

*BONK!* is here to answer your questions and give badmost excellent advice. Disclaimer: Not responsible for incidents, accidents, disability, dismemberments, bite marks, lumps on heads, death, random bits of cat fur or mummy wrappings, or monetary loss for following the advice of a mummified cat plush toy.

Gaming books are just like any other book - they have word count targets as well as page count targets and the people who write them tend to go over their allotment. This requires an editor to trim the fat. Unfortunately one of the first things to go under the knife in a core book is the game master advice portion of the book. As anyone that's read more than a few tabletop RPG books has noticed, there is always some system specific advice, but the general advice seems to be the same basic ideas, maybe presented slightly differently, but repeated over and over across the industry. Fortunately over the last couple of decades more and more books geared specifically for game masters have been published. For those GMs that want to up their game, whether it be plot, combat, handling NPCs, worldbuilding, or problem players there's advice out there for that. Not all of them give good advice and not all are worth picking up. This thread aims to be a resource, not just creating a list of books but also giving a bit of a review. The books listed here will not include core books unless someone finds one with unique advice. At this point my idea is to keep the list more general and avoid books that are majority system specific. You won't find the DMG listed here, but you might find a DMG II. After all, that's where the advice that got cut out of the first one ends up. Title: Cityscape Authors: Ari Marmell & C.A. Suleiman System: 3.5E d20 (w/ a lot of more generally applicable sections) Publisher: WOTC (2006) ISBN: 978-0-7869-3939-8 In Print: No Title: GM Essentials Book 1: NPC Essentials Authors: Johnn Four System: Nominally 3.5E d20, but only one chapter is really tied to that system (a mini-adventure) Publisher: RPGObjects (2003) ISBN: 978-0-7869-3939-8 In Print: No (?) Might be available electronically from Role Playing Tips (Johnn's Blog) Title: Hamlet's Hit Points Author: Robin D. Laws System: None Publisher: Gameplaywright (2010) ISBN: 978-0-9818840-2-8 In Print: Yes Title: Heroes of Battle Author: David Noonan, Will McDermott, Stephen Schubert System: 3E (but applicable to other systems) Publisher: WOTC (2005) ISBN: 0-7869-3686-X In Print: No Title: Kobold Guide to Worldbuilding Author: Wolfgang Bauer, Michael Stackpole, Keith Baker, Monte Cook, and others System: None (fantasy-oriented) Publisher: Kobold Press (2012) ISBN: 978-1936781119 In Print: Yes Title: A Mighty Fortress Author: System: 2E d20 (but it is also a historical reference) Publisher: TSR (1992) ISBN: 1-56076-372-8 In Print: No, but .pdf Title: Play Dirty Author: John Wick System: None Publisher: John Wick (2015) ISBN: 978-0990547853 In Print: Yes Title: Play Dirty 2 Author: John Wick System: None Publisher: John Wick (2015) ISBN: 978-0990547860 In Print: Yes Title: Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering Author: Robin D. Laws System: None Publisher: Steve Jackson Games (2002) ISBN: 1-55634-629-8 In Print: Not last I checked, but you can track down a .pdf

Hello everyone, I could use an advice or more some thoughts on something I am working on. I've once again dived headlong right into a new project for someone else. The topic is a pulp style game that is set in an alternate time of the 40s and incorporates some kind of superold cults and stuff. Anyway - I've been task to create a faction consisting of an android species that was originally created by one of the fractions as some kind of statues and then came to life by being merged with a soul. But as metal is a obviously a really unfitting material to merge with souls, those machine lifeforms became something like lost souls. Not they are out for revenge and fight the other factions. I am currently thinking about the colour scheme. As for the bodies, I thought about using sisters of silence from the warhammer universe and equip them with swords, MG 42 and FG 42 light machine guns to make them fit into the whole scenario. As for the faces I wanted to use a more light colour and white hair. I mean - why should androids have got different hair colours? I'd like to have them have red glowing eyes. Like this: And I then I thought of using the YoRHa heavy armor of the NieR Automata franchise as color reference. This is a guild wars 2 mod that gets as close as possible. more picture here: GW Nier Automata Style Armor But now I thought ... maybe thats a bit too dark. I mean - rather dark weapons, dark clothes, dark armor, only a bit of light color on the head and the hair. I am not sure if I'd consider that fitting. I'd like to hear your opinions on that topic.

Hi all, First time posting and first time painter. Just started painting recently, and while I'm waiting for my Reaper and KD:M minis to get here, I'm practicing on my The Others: 7 Sins ones. I've only painted 5 minis up until now (3 Age of Sigmar starters and 2 The Others), and have noticed the following difficulties: - proper placement of highlights - proper amount and placement of edge/extreme highlights - proper way of applying dry brush. Any tips are welcome. I'm using deerfoot (?) brushes for dry brushing, because regular ones were too flexible, and rhe other cheap ones I have are too rigid. Link to minis: https://goo.gl/photos/Arkd9kVm9XYeNrEF9

Hey I'm attempting something crazy for Gen con this year, and I need a little help. I am doing a diorama for the MHE painting competition, and the title for the piece is kind of an important part of it. Is it common or acceptable to have the title engraved to put on the base? If not, what is a good way to make the title known? This is something I've never done before so any advice (including general diorama advice would be appreciated. I wasn't planning on doing a WIP, just puting the picture up in Show off after Gen con assuming I get it done in time.

So hear is a loaded cannon for every one; How do you paint fabric to make it look realistic. I personally tend to build up many layers of highlights and shadows and that how I do fabric, I may free hand a designee on but that really about it. I've notice wile going threw some of last years winners for reaper con that some of the fabric was painted in a almost stippled effect and it look more like a hand stitched/hand made dress or tabard. I have been trying to replicate this with no avail what so ever and going back threw old work I seem to have gotten something close back when I was learning to paint and I have no idea what I did to get that textured look. Any advice out there on how to get this look?

Hello all, After watching many painting tutorials I have noticed that it seems like many more professional artists use somewhat larger sized sable/kolinsky brushes than what I expected. I am currently using a size 0 and a size 000, but it looks to me like people are using sizes 1 or 2 and they are able to maintain much finer points when painting. I am struggling to maintain a fine point while painting with both brushes and I was wondering if the larger brushes were better for that? Maybe I am just actually painting wrong? I am still learning a lot about paint consistency too so can that be a factor? Learning to paint with real hair brushes is much different than learning with synthetic ones. I may be the only one who thinks that, but to me, the brush just behaves differently. Thanks for your input!

Hi Everyone! I'm wondering if one can achieve a reasonable blonde from the Chestnut Gold through Buckskin Pale triad. This is the most yellow/brown paint I have and from what I was able to discern from Google...blonde needs an undertone of brown...so yeah...will this work?

Open call for opinions! My trusty Badger Crescendo 175 airbrush of many, many years failed this weekend. It stopped spraying and started blowing paint back through the trigger. A complete disassembly revealed the problem -- the nylon bushing for the needle had somehow come loose and slipped forward into the paint mixing chamber. Further, I can't for the life of me get that darned bushing back out of what is an essentially sealed pocket. I checked the Badger website, and the bushing is a manufacturer-serviceable part only. So shipping to there, and $12 return shipping enclosed, plus the cost of any replacement parts. I'm seriously considering just getting an new airbrush instead. So, anyone have experience w/Badger service/repair? Failing that, what recommendations do you have for a replacement airbrush? Go with the same again, or switch? So you know, I've also used a Paasche VL airbrush for a while before and found it -- fiddly at best and a frustration at worst, compared to the Badger. It's in pieces in my airbrush supplies box, and also in need of a new needle bushing (at $10 apiece). I prefer double-action airbrushes, and I'm considering a switch to a gravity-feed, rather than a siphon-feed. And... Begin!

I am in a bit of a pickle. I've searched around and tried looking at a few threads but I'd like to post my mini and get some concrete advice on how to proceed. I've thought about just spraying it white again, and keep it with the ghostly green all over, but I'd kind of like some additional detail, and thought the dress was great as blue,. It's the rest that don't want to work. Especially the hair and white threads: Any opinion is valid here. I just mainly need advice on what might work in regards to colour combinations. And maybe some advice on how to shade the white parts properly. Although I think I'll go with a creamy wash?

I just acquired a mini from Hasslefree Miniatures that was cast in green resin. Does this material need to be primed before painting, or should I just clean it and go to?

Hey all, After sealing my Eregris Darkfathom tonight and reflecting on the experience of painting him, I discovered a few issues with my approach that I would really like to rectify before the next detail heavy mini (read: mini that I spend way too many hours on ). For the glove fringes and the tassles hanging from the pauldrons, I wanted a wash to create depth. However, the actual topography of these features is very shallow, so I had to let the wash sit there pretty heavily basically until it dried naturally (some areas I'll remove pooled wash with a clean brush if it's too much) in order to take hold in the cracks so to speak. The result was pretty much staining the whole area rather than just the little nooks I was shooting for. TL;DR - What are some preferred methods for creating depth or separation in very small areas where a wash won't sink into the desired areas without staining the foreground?