RPG & Wargame Newsletter #60
May 27, 2024
Greetings, Gamers!
You helped me get there! 500+ subscribers. (506 at the time I’m writing this.) Thank you, thank you, and thank you. What started as just a way for me to get things out of my head has turned into a newsletter that I 100% enjoy putting out every week because I’m so glad to know that readers are finding new games, resources, and creators. That’s the point of the newsletter, and I want to thank those of you who have emailed me and told me you found something you didn’t know about. I can’t cover everything game related, but I’ll continue to share with you those things that grab my attention.
Next goal? 1000? Can we hit that number before end of 2024? I hope so, and you can help me by sharing the link with your fellow gamers - rpgwargamenews.substack.com
Now… on to the fun stuff!
RPGs
Not much info on it yet, but Star Borg certainly sounds interesting, and this ship drawing video allowed the artist to talk about the game and show you how the ships will be incorporated as semi-character-sheets.
I should probably place this in the crowdsourcing section, but I think it fits best here. The mechanics of Savage World are being applied to The Secret World, a new RPG that’s based on the MMORPG of the same name. I haven’t played MMORPGs in years, but I do remember hearing about this one from some friends who hang in the video game world. For fans of the game (or those interested in the RPG), you’ll also be glad to hear that the delivery date is October 2024… THIS YEAR! (This is almost unheard of these days.) You can find more info here or back it. I know a LOT of players who LOVE Savage Worlds, so this is yet another setting they can incorporate into their game.
WARGAMING (FREEBIES)
Uncle Atom, host of the Tabletop Minions YouTube channel and game creator at Snarling Badger Studios has a new game out called Deth Wizards. No, that’s not a mistake… Deth is the land that your necromancer hails from and is on a mission to destroy after being exiled. You get to take on the role of a necromancer who will be attacking the living with skeletons, zombies, and 17 more undead types. Snarling Badger has also partnered with Knucklebones Miniatures to create six new and unique necromancer minis if you don’t already have one. You can get the PDF and a Print&PDF option is also available. There’s a lot more to the game, including some downloadable freebies here (scroll to bottom). I’ve just paid and downloaded my PDF as I wait for the print copy to arrive. My goal is to have a gameplay video up in the next few weeks. Stay tuned.
Very little information was shared, but Gale Force Nine dropped this image… which looks to me like maybe a re-release announcement of Firefly Adventures, a skirmish wargame set in the Browncoat Universe. Anyone know? The game originally came out 5 or 6 years ago, but I think it just got lost in the shuffle or ignored.
Black Site Studios has just released four new free scenarios (with new characters to play, too) for Don’t Look Back. These are to be used with some of their standalone minis they sell, but you could easily substitute in other minis for them. The scenarios can be found here (scroll down).
TERRAIN
If you enjoy playing Another Glorious Day in the Corp like I do, you might be interested to know that LV427-Design is releasing a series of files for printing 3D versions of all the cardboard play tiles that come with the game. For example, take a look at the photo below to see one of the tiles (on the right) and the 3D print on the left. You can obviously shrink the tiles down if you like, but the oversized allows for easier movement of the minis, especially the xenomorphs with those crazy tails. They don’t have all the tiles available yet, but I’m hoping they’ll have them very soon. Right now, they have six of the 12 tiles available here. Each tile is four parts for easier breakdown and transport, but I guess you could glue them together if you like. Take a look at a fully painted version in the second image.
CARD GAMES
I still play a game of Marvel Champions every week with my local gaming crew, and while I have enjoyed playing Wolverine and Rocket Racoon, I have been looking forward to one hero for a LONG time… and he’s finally here! Kurt Wagner… aka Nightcrawler! I have wondered, however, how his teleport ability would work in the game, and now I know… this article explains it, and it’s gonna be crazy fun. I know I’m going to have to fight some of my fellow gamers to play him, but once the buzz has worn off, I’m sure I’ll get more chances to play him.
And speaking of Fantasy Flight card games, they’ve also released a new hero expansion to the Lord of the Rings Card Game called Ered Mithrin that collects previously released content into a single box. The game plays similar to the Arkham Horror Card Game, and for that reason I’ve not invested… Arkham Horror is expensive enough. But I have watched a game and thought it was really cool, especially as a fan. More info here.
CUSTOM CONTENT
This week, I’ve got you TWO free solo scenarios - one for Relicblade and one for Frostgrave.
Scenario 3: Slippery Descent is for my brand new solo 10-scenario campaign for Frostgrave called Beneath the Ice. My playthrough video will release on Wednesday, May 29. You can also get my solo Campaign Guide (with the rules, terrain details, and background story) here. The first two videos have released here and here.
Download Scenario 3: Slippery Descent here.
For Relicblade, I’m starting a new solo campaign (not to be confused with my solo UNDERGROUND campaign called the Catacombs of Kural). I’ve converted the 2-player scenario from the Relicblade Core Rulebook called Ancient Waystones to a solo game using the Activation Chart mechanism created by the game’s creator, Sean Sutter. The playthrough video for this new series releases at the same time as RPG & Wargame Newsletter #60 releases - you can find it over at The Tabletop Engineer Plays YouTube Channel now.
Download the unofficial PDF for the solo Ancient Waystones campaign here. (It includes a full-color version and a black-and-white printer-friendly version.)
TERRAIN TABLES
I’m starting a new section and I welcome my readers to submit photos of their game tables OR game tables you encounter at your game stores. Send a photo of it to jimsworkshop@fastmail.com and I’ll pick 6-8 each week and share them here. I’ll get it started by sharing a couple for Relicblade games - these aren’t mine, but they are amazing. (Click on images to see full-screen.)
CROWDSOURCING
I just backed Neon Skies - Alternative Cyberpunk Tabletop Roleplaying from my friend and fellow crafter, Wyloch. As someone who read Neuromancer in 1987 and had my world completely changed, I will admit that cyberpunk is one of those things I love but none of my fellow gamers and family really understand. Cyberpunk is amazing… it’s a world that is easily imaginable… and it’s just freakin’ cool. You can check out the Kickstarter here and support a non-D&D game from a fellow gamer who brought this game alive all on his own.
I’ve been printing a lot of terrain from the Curse of the Citadel Kickstarter, and the creator has just announced a new expansion for it that features lava tiles! And they look AWESOME! Not sure how many I will print or need, but I do plan on printing at least a 2’x2’ set of tiles to use in my wargames. I don’t know exactly when the new tiles will release (August 2024 sometime), but you can sign up here to get notified.
HALLOWEEN 2024
I’ve started looking at jumpsuits recently… crazy prices! I’m not going for 100% movie compatibility like some GB fans do… but I’d like to be close. That said, it’s really a balance of money and time and acceptable level of accuracy. I haven’t heard about the sound effect device waiting list I have my name on, and I’m hoping to hear something before summer ends or I may have to DIY it.
I didn’t get to work on the pack this last week, but I’m hoping to get it sanded again and hit it with the orange-peel texturing (for metal surface look) before the next newsletter.
If you want to print your own proton pack, here are the free STL files and a link to the paid instructions:
Free files here: https://github.com/mr-kiou/q-pack
Instructions here ($11): https://www.etsy.com/listing/1554836449/mk4-3d-printed-q-pack-tacoshell-proton
GASLANDS VEHICLE OF THE WEEK
This week’s amazing toy car conversion for Gaslands is from NorCal. Love the oversized engine and the banding around the exhaust. The color is cool, too.
YOUTUBE
The future of 3D printing continues to evolve, and I can totally see in about 5-10 years a home version of this particular resin printer that prints in color. The price of the machine AND the resin obviously needs to come down… WAY DOWN… but we all know how tech works. What I love is that the model can be pulled out of the machine by hand - as someone who is extremely allergic to resin from resin printers, this really appeals to me that MAYBE one day I’ll be able to print in resin. (Oh, and if you want one of these… it’s $99,000, not counting resin.)
LIFE GAMIFICATION
I’m now at 65% for Part 2 of Conqueror’s Lord of the Rings Challenge called The Fellowship and am ahead of schedule (61% of the time limit has expired). I continue working my way towards the entrance to the Mines of Moria which will be my next Challenge (40 miles). I can, once again, speak to the value of having something to motivate me to keep walking every day. It’s a simple medal that I receive when I complete this challenge, but I want to keep going and I find this LotR challenge very helpful in staying motivated. Try it if you’ve been wanting to get into a regular walking or running schedule.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Summer is here - my boys are out of school, so I’m hoping (but not holding my breath) to get them to play some games with me this summer. They both enjoy video games, so I get the draw there and why they might find miniatures games and RPGs not as exciting, but I keep trying.
I do have a few weeks this summer that I’ll be away or taking time with the family, but I do not see the newsletter pausing - it’ll continue to release on Mondays.
Enjoy your summer, and I do hope you all get to play some games this week (or the coming weekend). See you next Monday.
Jim
TO MY SUBSCRIBERS
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