RPG & Wargame Newsletter #69
July 29, 2024
Greetings, Gamers!
Sorry about this mix-up last week. I was on vacation, and for some reason the Monday newsletter didn’t go out as scheduled. Very odd, as it showed in the queue. Oh, well. Hopefully this one makes it to your inboxes on time and on the right day.
As I said, I was on vacation last week, so I’m trying to catch up on all the stuff that I missed. I was doing a lot of video editing (for my new Patreon - see below) for some new game campaigns I’m playing and, of course, spending time with my family.
As always, thanks for being a reader. This newsletter is my personal outlet for letting me share things that interest me. And hopefully you. I invite your suggestions and submissions, as well… especially for local conventions and solo games you have played or discovered. I can be reached at jimsworkshop@fastmail.com
Now… to the fun stuff!
RPGs
I’ve heard really good things about City of Mist, but never played it. As with many RPGs, I try to grab a rulebook or two for reading, even if I know that I likely won’t get a chance to play it. Right now, until July 31st, City of Mist is having a 60% off sale on everything. Print copies come with PDFs, too. You can get more info here.
WARGAMING
I’m not sure if Corvus Belli is making a move to expand interest and knowledge of its wargame called Infinity, but a new video they just released does have me interested. I’ve known about Infinity for a while, and I’ve seen a handful of games played at a nearby gaming store. The minis are incredibly detailed… but also incredibly expensive IMO. This is a very simple video with not a lot of discussion about the game’s mechanics, so I’m curious to see if more videos appear soon. With Gen Con a week or so away, I am wondering if they are prepping for some big announcement… just seems odd to release an intro video about the game (that’s been out for some time now) right now. Any ideas?
MINIATURES
While I love my Army Painter Speedpaints, I will go on record and say that for non-speed paints, my favorite have to be the paints from PRO Acryl. I picked up my first set of 12 at CoastalCon a few years back, and I’m still using them when I need bright colors or colors that go on in a single coat. I just saw that the team at PRO Acryl is offering a sale of 69 of their best colors for $250 here. It’s a bit too much for me, but if you’re in need of solid paints, it’s a good deal at $3.50 a bottle, and the bottles are bigger than the traditional AP/Vallejo/Reaper bottles. (They’re usually between $4.50 and $6 per bottle at stores.) More info here.
PATREON
Just a quick note that my Patreon launches “officially” on August 1, 2024, but I’ve been releasing new videos and other content early. This week, I’m releasing the first episode of my new D100 Space campaign. The first video is public, but future videos will be private for my Patrons only. In the first episode, I roll up my captain and take on my first Operation (mission). I hope you enjoy it and will consider becoming a Patron - private video access is just $2 per month and will help me continue to release videos AND do new games and much more. Info on my Patreon here.
TERRAIN
If you’re not familiar with the cardboard terrain from Battle Systems UK, you’ll want to check it out. I have a BUNCH of it for the sci-fi game I play called Core Space (although I do also use it for Five Parsecs from Home and Stargrave and Space Weirdos). Well, Battle Systems just released a video of the assembly of their Fantasy terrain for the upcoming Maladum (a fantasy Core Space). I’m already planning on using it for some Sword Weirdos and possibly a few other fantasy wargames. More info on Maladum here.
CROWDSOURCING
A local friend of mine in Atlanta, Egg Embry, wrote to let me know about a group of creators coming together to do a set of Kickstarters related to gaming brochures. It’s called Perilous Pamphlets, and Egg emailed me this info: Four publishers are kickstarting four TTRPG projects as part of the Powered by Perilous Pamphlets promotion. Crowdfunding on Kickstarter from July 24 through August 1, these campaigns put one-page brochures in the hands of tabletop gamers.
More info below:
Perilous Pamphlet Pack from Philip Reed Games
The Fantasy Grind, Fantasy Adventures for OSE and 5E from Crumbling Keep
CY_OPERA from Headcheese Productions
FLAMES & FLAILS: THE FIERY FORGE – An OSR Adventure Pamphlet from Egg Embry Publishing
GASLANDS VEHICLE OF THE WEEK
This week’s amazing toy car conversion for Gaslands is from Cee Jay. The Bandit would love it. The sheriff wouldn’t want to tangle with those twin mounts.
YOUTUBE
Double-feature today! First up, I’ve got a video of Sean Sutter, creator or Relicblade, digitally sculpting and narrating his thought processes. I WISH I could do this… just love watching stuff get made.
I just cannot get enough of these scratch building of spaceships from Sublight Drive Crafts. It’s a great channel, and very inspirational. The video below is the latest, and has me ready to create one for my Five Parsecs tabletop.
LIFE GAMIFICATION
I finished the Mines of Moria - Part 3 of the Lord of the Rings Challenge from Conqueror. I started this months ago as a way to put pressure on myself to start walking and losing weight. I’ve done both, and having this app on my iPhone and tracking my progress has been exactly what I wanted it to be — motivational! I’ve lost 12 pounds and I’m up to 45 minutes of walking per day (this is dedicated walking, not just walking around the house, for example). I highly encourage you to check it out if you’re looking for some motivation. We all work differently, so I can’t say this kind of gamification will work for you, but I love it. Now… on to Part 4 (95 miles), The Eye of Sauron and then the conlusion, Part 5 (282 miles!), Mordor! More info on the Challenge here.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I’ve been loving my new 3’x3’ rotating game table (see this video for details). I use it not just for games I’ve shooting video for, but just random games I like to play with my son or ones that I don’t play for my channel or Patreon). It really has made the games so much more enjoyable, and I hope it makes watching my videos more enjoyable, too.
I’ve just gotten back from vacation, so I’m a bit overwhelmed with laser work right now (orders received from while I was gone) and need some sleep… tomorrow will be a busy day with shooting more gameplay videos, so off to bed I go.
Have a great week, all of you!
Jim
TO MY SUBSCRIBERS
If you know of a local and/or independent gaming convention, email me at jimsworkshop@fastmail.com to get it listed.
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 game play-through videos can be found here.
The YouTube Channel name is The Tabletop Engineer Plays
My new Patreon can be found here.
The Tabletop Engineer’s Gaming Workshop is up and going and offers new (private) videos to my Patrons.
Those walking challenges seem so cool. I should check them out.