RPG & Wargame Newsletter #7
May 22, 2023
Greetings, Gamers!
My boys finished up school on Friday… this week is Finals/Testing week. And then… summer break. I have a BUNCH of games that I cannot play solo, so I’m hoping to convince them to try a new game each week. I’ll report back here on my success, but one that I’m very anxious to play with them is Dark Tower Returns. It can be played solo, but I understand that it’s so much better as a team of 3 or 4 players. We shall see.
What about you? Any games you’re hoping to play or try this summer with your kids or family or friends? Here in Atlanta, it can get brutally hot and humid, so if you’ve got any game suggestions for us, drop them in the newsletter’s comments below.
RPGs
Recently, I discovered two small RPG books (one for players, one for the GM, aka The Warden) for the game Monster Rangers. The two books are zine formatted and in full color. I’ll be honest… I’m not so much interested in playing the game as I am in just admiring the two rulebooks. The colors… layout… rule explanations. Each book at 32 pages is amazing to read and examine. And if you’re REALLY into the game, the creators sell things like merit badges, backpacks, and more. The game takes place in 1913 and involves the players acting as rangers who need to protect monsters that are hunted for all kinds of nefarious reasons. The game is likely to appeal to younger players (ages 8+, maybe) with its cartoon-ish graphics and themes. All in all, just a really well done game. More info here.
WARGAMING
I’m hoping to get my copy of Demon Ship very soon. I didn’t order the laser-cut terrain as I’m designing my own, but the rulebook is incredible. I’ve got the PDF and have familiarized myself with the rules and am ready to go. If you’re not familiar, it’s a Solo Micro Skirmish Wargame… very cool concept. A small 6” x 6” (inches) play area that is changed as your mini moves from room to room… each room has a set layout using a minimal number of terrain pieces. You can check out the game here. I fully expect to see more content creators making smaller footprint games like this one.
MINIATURES
I’m waiting on a delivery of six minis from Hydra Miniatures. They sell these old-school sci-fi metal minis, and I’ve been collecting some of their stock since I first discovered them a few years ago. I’ve got six Zenithians on the way (see image below) in various poses. If you know of any sellers of metal sci-fi miniatures, please share the link in the comments below for the newsletter. I’m always looking for new sci-fi minis, especially metal ones AND definitely retro. (Another favorite is Diehard Miniatures!)
TERRAIN
I’ve got a 12-question Q&A with the creators of Dungeon Blocks. The product will be available on May 30, 2023 over at MyMiniFactory. Take a look at the photos below for a better idea of how it works. I’m looking forward to it as I think it will make setting up wargames faster with the drop-in system with less risk of terrain sliding around. More info here.
KICKSTARTER
In addition to the Zenithians (above in MINIATURES), I also backed these incredible Mindarians. Why am I focused on so many alien miniatures of late? Heh heh. Stay tuned. You newsletter readers will be the first to find out. You can find more info on the STL file Kickstarter here.
Only a few days left on this one — 3D print your own miniature displays with the OMNI Modular Display Case. You can change the dimensions as needed, just printing the parts required for the size box you want. More info here. KS ends on May 25, 2023.
LOVECRAFT MYTHOS
I have absolutely been LOVING the Bookshops of Arkham video series. The actors and actresses do such a great job, as does the Keeper. Check out Episode 1 below; if you like it, there are more:
GASLANDS VEHICLES OF THE WEEK
Starting this week, I’m going to include Gaslands vehicles that catch my eye. If you’re not familiar with Gaslands, it’s car combat using toy cars and glued on weapons. It’s crazy fun, addictive, and hilarious. I’ve a dozen 13 year olds prepping to play in a few weeks, and my 3D printer is printing out micro weapons like mad for them to glue on, paint, and then bring to the table.
From Wolf Francis:
YOUTUBE
I’ve been wanting to teach myself how to sculpt miniatures for a while now. I prefer a digital pen and my iPad and Nomad Sculpt was recommended to me. Before I jump in, I’ve started looking at videos and I found this absolutely incredible set of tutorials. Here’s the first one that hooked me.
ZINES
I am lucky to be part of a fun community of zine creators who are always doing some crazy stuff. Below are some of their creations you might be interested in:
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Below is the cover for Delver #9. It’ll be heading to Kickstarter in June. If you’re not familiar with it, I produce a number of zines, some regularly (like Delver every other month, 6 times a year) and some at random times. Delver is a fantasy-based zine for old-school RPGs like Old-School Essentials, D&D Basic, ShadowDark, Basic Fantasy RPG and more.
You can find all my zines (current & back issues) at thetabletopengineer.bigcartel.com or by clicking here.
My 2’ x 4’ StageTop Gaming Table is SO CLOSE! Just 12 more of the flat black plates and done. I ordered a 2’ x 4’ neoprene mat (with my channel logo) to go over the top from Inked Gaming (on sale!). I don’t intend to break this thing down to make it portable — will likely hang it on a wall when not in use.
TO MY SUBSCRIBERS
If you know of an interesting game or gaming product that you believe other subscribers might like to know about, email details to jimsworkshop@fastmail.com
You can find my zines and laser-cut terrain at thetabletopengineer.bigcartel.com - 10% off to newsletter readers with code RPGWGNEWS.
Digital copies of all my zines can be found on DrivethruRPG.
My Patreon is currently focusing on a year-long project (started in Jan 2023) called Guild Collections. Patrons receive three weekly OSR PDFs (and a higher tier receive a monthly adventure PDF) that will be collected and printed as four OSR-compatible zines at the end of 2023. More info on the Patreon here.
My game play-through videos can be found here.
The YouTube Channel name is The Tabletop Engineer Plays
Is the Zines list supposed to be empty?