Realm Works has released another tutorial video in their Spotlight Series: Revealing Your World.

I have mixed feeling about Realm Works. There is a rather significant learning curve to it and it feels like it just somehow misses the mark but I can't quite explain how. At the same point in time this is a program that I was eagerly awaiting and really wanted it to knock it out of the park. The one point that I would make about Lone Wolf Development is that they do have a good track record for supporting their products.

Brush 4 Hire has released their 4-pack Shipping Container kit. Each container clocks in at about 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" x 5 2/5", constructed of MDF (aka Hardboard) and card. The base unit is a prefab card box which you add the MDF details to. To help speed up the painting process they include a stencil.

They also have a series of flexible mylar film stencils for airbrushing, camo, patterns, shapes and icons. Reasonably priced and reusable they are the sort of airbrush accessory that really highlights the strength of airbrushes!

Viv, over at Knights of Dice, is now offering up these stunning pieces to expand out his Chinatown line of laser cut scenery. I know that I have raved about the level of detail that they are putting into their buildings before...it feels like I am a broken record...but this is absolutely some of the best scenery out there!

Best of all, until 03/01/2016 they are offering 50% off of shipping (WORLDWIDE)!

Remember, all prices are in Australian Dollars!

This is one of those articles that straddles the line between news and opinion.

The news is that Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 will NOT be released in the West, be it Europe or the United States. This decision is not the result of any technical issues but the unabated assault by a certain vocal minority within the gaming community.

"We do not bring DOAX3 to the west and won't have any plan change in the future," according to their (Koei Tecmo) Facebook page.

Does this inconvenience me in any way shape or form?

No. I have no interest in the game whatsoever. In the same fashion that I have no interest in the Grand Theft Auto series. This lack of interest is not born out of a sense of Political Correctness or even a prudish disgust at that material...the games simply hold no interest for me.

What does trouble me greatly is the entire concept that a few individuals are dictating what is or is NOT acceptable art. Think about that idea, art that is NOT appropriate. The concept that art is no longer meant to challenge established views, be radical or prompt discussions is absolutely mind boggling to me.

While some may claim that Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 is not art and that it is blatant vulgar misogyny, there is a terrible danger in believing that only your opinion of what is and is not art counts. That absolute stance is where censorship begins and we have plenty of historical precedence to see where it leads. Let us be completely honest though and call this what it really is all about...CENSORSHIP.

Let's strip away the negative labels and focus on the perceived harm. Companies are producing games that some people find offensive and they say leads to wide spread harm of the social fabric.

Worldwide violence and crime is on the decline in developed nations. If these video games are such a threat to the very social and moral fabric of our society wouldn't we see dramatic increases given the prevalence of video games in developed countries?

So the real harm comes down to that somebody is offended.

As a citizen of the United States I can tell you with absolute certainty that no where in the U.S. Constitution or Bill of Rights will you find the right NOT to be offended. It would seem that being offended is not universally harmful though. I didn't see Catholics calling out the Spanish Inquisition or doxing the artist responsible for Piss Christ. Yet, I have it on good authority that they were deeply offended by that particular work of art.

Where were the SJWs during that controversy?

If they truly believe that being offended is such a great harm to society surely that would have warranted at least a bit of outrage. Perhaps...it would be more intellectually honest to say that they are fine with offending those that they do not agree with. For the record, I am agnostic, a reformed Atheist because they have a segment that are just too obnoxious to be affiliated with.

If we dispense with the pretext that they want to have an intellectually honest discussion and that this is really about cyber bullies trying to censor material that they are offended by, their tactics are apparent. They resort to actively destroying the personal and professional lives of those that disagree with them as a warning to ALL who would openly defy them. Certainly the 21st century equivalent of the Committee of Public Safety would have learned the lessons of their 18th century counterpart. Such witch hunts never end well...

All of you delicate snowflakes (aka cyber bullies) who believe that words hurt (be it ideas/art/music), with your safe spaces (replete with coloring books, milk and cookies like at Colombia University), microaggressions and trigger words...please do the rest of us a favor.

GROW THE FUCK UP!

Osprey Publishing has released The History of the Panzerwaffe: Volume 1 1939-1942. A meaty tome with 305 pages covering the creation and perfection of the Panzer force that crushed all comers...for a while.

The Author
"A German national, Thomas Anderson is a specialist in German armored fighting vehicles of World War II. He has spent decades researching in archives throughout Germany and the rest of Europe to discover little known facts and never previously published photographs of the might of the Panzerwaffe. A modeler, he regularly contributes to popular modeling and historical magazines across the globe including Military Modelcraft International (UK), Steel Art (Italy), Historia Militar (Spain) and Batailles & Blindes (France) as well as many others."

The Contents
"1 Laying the foundation - pre-war establishment 2 The seizure of Czechoslovakia - backing the Panzerwaffe 3 Poland - the ordeal 4 France - at eye level 5 The Balkans - the unwanted campaign 6 Russia - an overmighty opponent? 7 1942 - upgrading the Panzers 8 North Africa - defeat instead of superiority 9 Dark prospects - Waiting for the new tanks 10 Tank recovery and repair 1935-42"

My WW2 reference library has more than a dozen Osprey books in it and this is one that I will soon add to it.

The Devil is in the details! Such a simple statement and incredibly poignant when it comes to fleshing out a bit of scenery (be it for a RPG or a wargame). To my mind there is one manufacturer that stands out from all the rest when it comes to the fantasy details...Thomarillion!

Having done business with him dozens of times and have never been disappointed with his service or products!

His products add depth and realism to scenery projects that will make it standout.

You may have noticed of late that I have been looking about for an espionage game and wouldn't you know it there is one on Kickstarter right now! Spy, is a modern espionage game where you create an agent of an organization known as The Factory. It is a covert tactical response organization tasked with keeping the United States safe from Foreign and Domestic threats.

"What makes us different? The game was designed for a quick learning curve. Within an hour or so, you could learn the mechanics of the game to either run a mission or be ready to play the game. Mechanics are fast paced, easy, and fun with lots of story-telling potential. This game is a polyhedral dice game. That box of polyhedral dice you bought in the game store, “Hoorah” you get to use all of them."

Right now this game is only at about half of the $2,500 goal. If you are interested in a modern espionage game this may be precisely what you are looking for.

Sounds like 2016 is going to be an interesting year for One World of Darkness.

Got some time over the holiday break that you aren't sure what to do with?

Maybe you just need some time to unwind from Uncle Joe from telling you his latest conspiracy theories.

Then it's time to grab your paint brush because...


Spectre Miniatures is having a...

"Painting Competition!

Here at Spectre we are lucky enough to be working with some of the best painters in the industry, but now we want to see what our customers can do!

1st prize: £50 gift voucher...
2nd prize: £25 gift voucher
3rd prize: £10 gift voucher

Entries can be any currently produced miniature or vehicle from the Spectre miniatures range (including limited editions). These can be presented as single figures, groups or as a diorama.

Entries must be made by the 14th of January and photos sent via email to [email protected] with the subject title Painting Competition."

There is less than a day remaining to get in on the Normandy photo-realistic 28mm terrain Kickstarter by Sally 4th. The project is funded and offers backers the opportunity to obtain an entire Normandy village. This is a great way for all of us Bolt Action players to get a great looking set of terrain that requires a minimum of effort to get playing.

"Our plan is to design and manufacture a range of twelve 28mm model building kits for WW2 Normandy gaming using our new photo - realistic model making techniques. These kits will contain simple, robust parts, laser cut from 3mm Medite and 2mm MDF combined with detailed parts cut from coloured mounting board, perspex glazing and downloadable high quality cover sheets to print out to easily complete your models to the same standard as the ones in these photographs.The following buildings are available now:

• Normandy Mid-Terrace
• Normandy Left Hand End-Terrace
• Normandy Right Hand End-Terrace
• Normandy Stone Built Detached Town House
• Norman Church
• Normandy Corner Shops"

First Row, left to right...The Settlement Pledge, The Hamlet Pledge, The Village Pledge.
Second Row, left to right...Terrace House Rear, Right Terrace Kit, The Town Pledge.

This Kickstarter ends December 22nd, 2015 at 1:45am EST.

Good news, even though the Kickstarter is over for Human Interface - Nakamura Tower (HINT), you can still do a Kickstarter Late Pledge! You will get it with all of the same stretch goals as regular pledges. This includes everything up to and including Black Stone Operator 'Akira'.

What is HINT?

"In HINT you will lead a team of selected professionals of a given faction. Each of them has unique skills and abilities, each one can be given weapons and other equipment, be enhanced genetically or cybernetically. All characteristics and modifiers are presented on special character and equipment cards (you don’t need to constantly flick through the rulebook). Each character card has a limited amount of slots that can be filled with equipment and modifications. The player can purchase additional equipment to replace the current item depending on the “group’s assets”. A short bio of each protagonist is another interesting addition that will allow the player to identify themselves with the characters. You may like them or hate them but they will no longer be just anonymous pawns."

"Game mechanics are fairly easy as we wanted to achieve a perfect balance between a fun game and rules that enable a lot of tactical possibilities. The basic rules are easy to learn but the possibilities of their use grow significantly in combination with the characters’ skills and capabilities of equipment. The characters do not have predefined characteristics (like attack, defense, intelligence etc.). We assume that such professionals will always hit a stationary target while shooting from a standing position. The characters are defined by their basic physical and mental abilities and modifiers, which make it easier or more difficult to perform some tasks, that make them unique. These modifiers result from their skills, special training or cyberations and other equipment. At the moment we can say that the rules do not use any dice and the testing mechanics are based on cards that we call CanDo. The description on the card, its value and color influence the final result of the test. The numerical value also states the location of a hit and additional effects connected to it."

Shirley 'Crazy' Stone and the Motoshige drone are headed off to the foundry, which wraps up miniature design work.

Also a weapon mount has been designed for the drones, allowing them to use all of the optional weapons on both.

Acheson Creations has released their Mushroom Forest, a set of 14 different types of mushrooms.  These 28mm scale mushrooms are the perfect scatter terrain for your fantasy gaming needs. They also afford you the opportunity to inject an array of color into your gaming board.

I have included some images to give you an idea of just how varied they are in reality...without even delving into the possibility of fantasy!

Right Arm Labs has introduced a considerable array of buildings for your 28mm scale gaming needs. While squarely aimed at the Infinity gaming sector there is little doubt that they could be utilized in a variety of near future or sci-fi games.

Their designs offer a level of detail that goes far beyond simply laser engraving on the surface. They bring an entirely deeper level of intricacy through the use of layers.