A few posts back I mentioned "great storms" and the coming of 3D printing, it seems I am behind the curve of this one. Printable Scenery has built up a considerable digital catalog (.stl files) that you can purchase and print out on your home 3D printer!

Winterdale, which is live on Kickstarter, is a modular medieval fantasy city that is set at 28mm scale for your wargaming or RPG gaming needs. For a maximum pledge of about $50 USD you get the entire digital catalog for Winterdale which includes...

"3D printers are perfect for tabletop wargame and RPG terrain. Each piece of scenery cost about as much as a cup of coffee to print and you can get a good printer for as little as US$399. Everything shown here is printed at 200 microns, which is the optimum quality for scenery."

So what about these stretch goals?

1. NZ$27,000 Free Stretch Goal 1. Hamlet Upgrades. This will include  3 new walk in buildings. The Mill, The Blacksmith and The Tavern.

2. NZ$66,000 Free Stretch Goal 2. Tower upgrades will include: A steampunk version and steampunk optional add-ons, a spiral exterior staircase, balcony and connecting bridges.

3. $82,000 Free Stretch Goal 3. Citadel upgrades. This will include balcony's, covered tower tops, covered walkways and 2 different battlement options.

4. NZ$150,000  Free Stretch Goal 4. Complete City. Our dream is to build a complete modular Winderdale city that you can customize and 3d print at home. 8 completely new buildings as well as add-ons for the castle and keep.

All stretch goals will be complete October 2016.

Winterdale itself is set to be delivered (estimated) January 2016.

Bruce Hirst, of Hirst Arts, has just released an entirely new type of stone mold, the Rubble Block Mold #263! This is possibly of the most realistic stone patterns I have seen available and certainly more so than other types available from Hirst Arts.

According to Bruce, "I do plan on expanding the rubble stone though. To me, this style would work really well for an eerie crypt."

Bruce also stated that, "I'm currently working on the wall builder mold and floor tiles in the rubble style."

Bruce says, "This shows a finished fireplace using the mold. The smoother block was used for the mantel. If this were to be the chimney of a house, then you would remove the sloped blocks from the sides of the chimney (where the walls would meet on the center sides of the chimney).

I painted this using the earth tone color scheme. These blocks were all made using actual stone and cut with tile nippers (pliers). I wondered if I would be able to hide the horizontal lines but still keep the random look of the stone. You can still see the horizontal lines but I don't think they are bad enough to completely ruin the random look.

There are a few quirks to this mold which make it a more difficult mold to use. I'll try to explain the advantages and disadvantages.

The advantages of this mold are that you can get a more natural cut stone look. You can also break the blocks with pliers and it won't look odd, especially since all of the rocks were originally broken with pliers anyway. 

Now for the disadvantages (and there are quite a few).

1. The mold had to be made one-sided similar to the small brick mold #250. The rock shapes and gaps are so deep that I could not make full blocks like the fieldstone molds (and I really would have liked to). If I had made full blocks, this rubble type of stone would have been almost impossible to cast without air bubbles. Even as it currently is, you will need to take all precautions to end up with bubble-free castings.

2. Because the mold is cast of 1/4" thick slabs it will take you twice as long to build anything with it.

3. The edges of the blocks are broken stone. The edges had to be irregular or the stone would look odd on the corners when you put together a building.  Because of this, the blocks are not as square and exact as on other molds. However, when I laid out 16 blocks next to each other, it came out pretty close to 8" on the nose."

This is yet another mold that I will be adding to my collection, so I will be reporting back with my thoughts on it.

So, my order of the scale rulers, from Rulers of the World, showed up and now I can give a short review of them.

The first question you have to answer is are they accurate?

As far as the 1 to 1 ruler, yes all three are accurate when compared to my machinist ruler.

When you look at the Navy SEAL miniature you can see that it is just a couple of hairs over 6 feet tall. That measurement is not accounting for the bit of metal base it is standing on. While the PanO Infinity figure comes in at 8 feet tall...much thicker base and the Infinity figures are ranging closer to 30mm IMHO.

They come with a clearly legible finish, thick plastic (although still flexible), and do precisely what you need them to do...allow scenery builders to go between 1:1 and 1:65 (in this case) measurements. I can see these rulers having a prominent role in my shop and feel that they were an excellent value. The highest praise I can give any vendor/manufacturer is this...I am going to order additional product from them.

Rulers of the World has more than 200 scales at present and if by chance you need a scale that they don't have, they will make it for you. With a minimum order of five rulers though.

The attack shuttle or Phantom if you prefer, comes with a 3 attack, 2 agility, 2 hull, 2 shields. It has the actions of focus, barrel roll, and evade. With elite pilot, system upgrade and crew member on the icon bar.  So it is for all practical purposes a beefed up Z95, albeit at a 20 point cost. If you compare Ezra (Pilot 4) to a Tala Squadron Pilot of 4, you have a 7 point difference in favor of the Z95. However you do not get the barrel roll, evade, 3 attack, elite pilot, system upgrade, or crew member. That is a pretty significant difference.

When compared to a Black Squadron TIE fighter though...well things get a bit closer. With 1 less hull but 2 shields, the Phantom has an advantage of 1. In terms of attack, again a 3 vs. a 2, so the Phantom comes out ahead. Agility it loses but only by 1 to the TIE fighter. The action bars are identical so that is a push. The icon bar...they both have elite pilot however the system upgrade and crew member go to the Phantom. The Black Squadron TIE costs 14 points vs 20 for Ezra...so a 6 point difference in favor of the TIE fighter. Overall...I would say that the Phantom attack shuttle has a slight advantage in raw stats.

What is the purpose of the Phantom though?

It is really designed for that sudden deploy and attack when the Phantom does a flyby or whenever it can deploy outside of an enemies firing arc. When docked with the Ghost (Phantom title card) the shuttle is immune to damage. While that is an advantage in some respects it is the equivalent of having 20+ points off table in reserve.

How many rounds do you want to have one less attack available to you?

While in many respects the Phantom attack shuttle looks to be a potent addition...it has one glaring flaw while docked with the Ghost. Only time will tell how deadly the Phantom attack shuttle actually is.

The Ghost expansion is the first expansion to incorporate source material from the animated Star Wars Rebels series into X-Wing, we are now up to Wave VIII. As yet another, large ship for the Rebels (I am seeing a trend here), it also comes with the a "shuttle", the Phantom, which is in it's own right a rather potent vessel. I digress though, let us focus on the Ghost for the time being...

First, I would like to say, that I really like the lines of this ship, IMHO it is a good looking ship and from what I have read it is larger than the VT-49 Decimator! With 4 attack, 0 agility, 10 hull, and 6 shields, evade, target lock and focus actions. The icon bar has system upgrade, turret, 2 torpedoes, and 2 crew slots. Compared to Lando Calrissian in the YT-1300 it is 4 points cheaper. In terms of durability it is also better than a YT-1300 and pretty much dead even with a VT-49 Decimator. Speaking of which, it has a better attack than a VT-49 Decimator.

Feeling bad because you are not getting an elite pilot upgrade on the icon bar?

Temper that with the fact that you got your choice of any green or red maneuvers on your dial depending on which of those two you opted for. Try figuring out where this ship is going to be at the end of a maneuver phase is going to be problematic.

Overall...the Ghost is going to give the Rebels another large ship that is going to be a very tough nut to crack!

Next up...we will look at the Phantom.

While not everyone may be enamored with the movie Specter, running across this fan site of the James Bond RPG certainly evoked a measure of nostalgia for me. Even decades later, this RPG still holds up remarkably well in terms of the rule set. Whenever I am asked to list my top five RPGs it always makes the cut.

This website has a selection of rather eclectic NPC's, Resources (great selection of vehicles), Modules, and useful Links for your covert gaming needs. I was surprised to find a link to Amazon which included a good selection of the OOP James Bond RPG books...most at prices below original cover! I do have to give a shout out to the individuals who believes anyone is going to pay $99 for the Villains sourcebook (plus $3.99 for shipping).

As far as fan sites go I give this one an solid A!

I have to admit that I am a bit surprised to see that this Kickstarter from Laser Terrain Co., has yet to reach full funding. As we are getting down to the wire, it closes on the 9th, especially given how prominently it has been featured on sites like Beasts of War.

It comes ready-to-play, straight out of the box, with an easy interlocking system and incredibly modular. If you are cramped on time and want to get to actually playing a game this might be precisely the gaming scenery that you are looking for.

Miniature Mentor has been producing great painting and sculpting tutorial videos for years now and I am very pleased to see that they are adding dioramas to the mix. This two part Master Class: Matt Cexwish Dioramas Tutorial features a combined total of 11.5 hours of (High Definition Format) instruction (clocking in at 20.1 GB).

Each part of the video costs $25 USD and is only available as a download at this time, either Quick Time player or the free VLC Player is capable of playing any of Miniature Mentor's videos. You can view their FAQ and System Requirements here.

Matt Cexwish is a winner of the coveted Slayer Sword as well as numerous other awards from around the world.

I am a fan of Miniature Mentor's videos, having bought virtually all of them, although not these two yet! In dealing with them I have never had any issues with their products or service. Improvements in my painting ability are due in no small measure to their videos and I highly recommend them.

I don't know how they do it but Warlord Games somehow figured out what I want for Christmas. The combination of firepower, mobility and protection from small arms fire is beautifully blended within SdKfz 251/2 Ausf D Half-Track (& the 81mm Granatwerfer). Artillery in Bolt Action can be extremely effective and as this is considered a medium mortar, it has a maximum range of 60 inches (High Explosive D6 damage).

It begs the question why would you want it mobile?

Two reasons, a minimum range of 18 inches and the special rule of 'Fixed' which applies to medium mortars. Having the ability to reposition a medium mortar to the most advantageous location as the battle develops is very useful. While I will concede that mortar would have most often been deployed outside of the half-track, there is precedence for it being used within it as well.

With a full load of 66 of the 81mm mortar rounds, this platform has the ability to cause the enemy more than a little bit of grief over the course of a battle. It should go without saying (and yet I will) that a Forward Observer team would be a requirement to fully utilize this weapon.

In all the Germans built nearly 20,000 of the 251 series of half-tracks, seeing action in all theaters. The Ausf D was introduced in 1943 and featured a simplified front and rear armor shape. Weighing in at 3 tons, with 12mm of armor, maximum speed of 33 mph, 124 mile range, capable of a carrying a squad of 10 men it was one of the most advanced half-tracks at that time.

The latest Star Wars news from FFG...

"Without the brilliance of Technicians, the Star Wars® galaxy would be unrecognizable. Their work has created sentient artificial beings, put the most distant systems within reach via hyperdrive, and defined the ways that wars are fought. Yet even with such advanced technological marvels, there is no replacement for good, old-fashioned, spur-of-the-moment ingenuity, particularly inthe Outer Rim. There, Technicians must be as resourceful as they are intelligent, in order to invent solutions for the myriad troubles they daily face. 

Special Modifications, a sourcebook for the Star Wars®: Edge of the Empire™ roleplaying game, brings new specializations and signature abilities to the Technician career. Its 96, full-color pages also include new playable species and copious amounts of gear including cybernetics, slicing tools, construction tools, and remotes. Finally, the book contains detailed guidelines for crafting devices, weapons, and droids of your own invention, as well as new slicing actions and expanded rules for running slicing encounters in your roleplaying adventures.

Intuitive Mechanics

Most Technicians are naturally gifted. They don’t need an instruction manual or advanced education to figure out how to make things work. They can simply look at a mechanical problem and intuit how to solve it, or look at a set of components and instinctively perceive how to fit them together. The Technician specializations of Core Rulebook — Mechanic, Outlaw Tech, and Slicer — encourage this kind of innate, broad technical aptitude. Those of Special Modifications are more highly specialized. A Cyber Tech unites mechanics and medicine in order to enhance biological bodies though cybernetics, whether that means crafting the cybernetic body part or surgically implanting and connecting it. Droid Techs focus on creating and maintaining sentient machines, from service patch remotes with simple programming to canny, headstrong astromechs. Modders are more versatile, but most interested in relentlessly repairing, adjusting, customizing, and optimizing the technology around them. 

The two signature abilities of Special Modifications give Technicians the means to produce imaginative innovations and utilize their skills well in the most dire of emergencies. Inventive Creation allows a Technician to build a device of their own invention out of any materials at hand. At the end of the encounter, however, the device will come apart, short out, or otherwise permanently cease to function. For example, if you need a ranged weapon and are lost in the forests of Nal Hutta, you might use Inventive Creation to fashion a bow out of vines and sticks. Unmatched Calibration increases your chance at success in a single, pivotal moment once per session. At its base, Unmatched Calibration allows you to reroll up to two dice in your pool — enough to make a critical repair to your ship or slice into protected enemy systems. Both signature abilities can be upgraded to enable more impressive feats — such as building entire vehicles, or changing the dice you roll in your pool."

"Advanced Tech

Technicians tend to be fond of their tools and their toys, so Special Modifications is chock-full of gear, vehicles, and attachments for them to play with and share with the rest of the team.  Outlaw Techs and Slicers, along with Smugglers or Bounty Hunters, may want cloaking coats, which hinder scanners and electronic devices from perceiving their presence. Slicers may also want to invest in a few dataspikes, which make disabling security programs much easier. Cyber Techs might be interested in implanting a neural recorder, either in themselves or an ally, which gives the owner as close as a sentient being can get to a perfect memory. An intelligent toolbox which can respond to verbal commands could simplify life for Mechanics or Gadgeteers who often have their hands full.

New weapons attachments include a sonic scope that can detect targets even through the hardest, densest surfaces, and an integrated scanner that allows you to maintain an awareness of your surroundings even while staying on target. You might upgrade your smuggling team’s ship with decoy buoys to fool Imperial law enforcement and a laser focusing array to make your cannons and turboblasters more likely to deal critical damage. No matter what your group drives or flies, your Technician now has plenty more options for customizing that vehicle."

"Tinkering Around

The Edge of the Empire™ Core Rulebook handles a huge variety of crafting, tinkering, repairing, and manufacturing tasks by simply calling for a Mechanics check and letting the results of that single check shape the narrative. Special Modifications at last offers more detailed guidelines for making weapons, droids, cybernetics and other devices, including ways to spend dice results that affect both process and the final product. Weapon and device crafting involves choosing a template, procuring materials, and then finally, construction. To build a droid, you’ll first select a chassis which determines the droids’ basic characteristics. Then, you’ll program in directives that shape it’s talents and skills, and finally you’ll determine the sentient machine’s quirky personality traits. Since Technicians often earn a living from their trade, you'll also learn about determining how much a hand-crafted item might sell for, and how much a Mechanic should get paid.

Similarly, slicing means much more than testing your skill in Computers. Slicers and other tech-savy characters now have specific actions to choose from, such as Acess System, Enact Command, and Trace User. Their dice rolls in such actions may result in permanent, secret backdoors into Imperial systems, or in evidence of their tampering being left behind. GMs will find suggestions for staging slicing encounters, including how to manage the hostile systems being sliced into.

Special Modifications won’t only delight career Technicians playing Edge of the Empire. Spies, Aces, and Engineers fighting for justice in Age of Rebellion™ may want to pick up the Modder specialization. Artisans of Force and Destiny™ may fancy some innovative new tools and Consular Healers might want to acquire the talents of a Cyber Tech.  No matter what your technical background or area of expertise, Special Modifications enables you to upgrade your skills, weapons, ship, and game. 

Special Modifications will be available in Q1 of 2016."

Micro Arts Studio has put together a rather substantial setup, Infinity Table Street set 1. If you are looking for a one stop terrain set to cover your 4 x 4 game table this is one of the easiest routes to go. Micro Art Studio has a long history of producing terrain for Infinity, as they were the very first company to get a license to do so. That means they have an established record so players can expect a high level of quality.


With a rather significant price tag (500 Euros or 543 US Dollars) what all do you get with this set?

Infinity Holo Ads Upgrade Set (1)     x1
Infinity Holo Ads (3)                            x1
District-5 Apartment (1)                     x1
District-5 Garage (1)                           x4
District-5 Objective Room (1)           x4
District-5 L Apartment (1)                 x2
District-5 Guard House (1)                x3
Crovane SUV (1)                                 x1
Info Hub (1)                                         x3
Waste Bins (2)                                     x1
Tech Crates #1 (6)                              x1
Large Tech Crates #1 (2)                   x1
Road Barriers (6)                                x1
Concrete Wall Set 2 (9)                      x1
Cargo Crates set 2 (3)                        x4
Cargo Crates set 1 (2)                        x4
War Game Mat - 48x48 inch            x1

With a value of  more 600 Euros and free shipping it certainly is an option for quickly taking care of your terrain requirements.

Realm Works, from Lone Wolf Development, has inked a deal with Paizo Publishing for Pathfinder RPG content to be available.

The official press release talks about...

"partnership with Paizo Inc. to produce and sell Adventure Paths, modules, campaign settings, player companions, and rulebooks from Paizo’s popular Pathfinder Roleplaying Game™ product line through their campaign management software – Realm Works.

“Realm Works is the ideal vehicle for Pathfinder’s richly detailed rules and world,” said Rob Bowes. “With Realm Works, it’s all woven together and ready to run, streamlining session prep and enhancing the actual play experience. Best of all, everything is fully customizable to any GM’s game.”

Launching the first quarter of 2016, the Realm Works Content Market will initially include popular Adventure Paths and modules. Rulebooks, setting material, and additional Pathfinder products will be introduced over time.

Starting mid-December, Lone Wolf Development will launch the “Realm Works Spotlight Series,” which will outline the Content Market release plan, showcase Pathfinder and other products in Realm Works, and preview key Realm Works features. New Spotlight entries will debut weekly in the lead up to the Realm Works Content Market release. Pathfinder fans can sign-up to receive notifications about the Spotlight Series and the latest news about the Content Market release, or check for updates on www.GetRealmWorks.com."