Hoping that the Tavern had a Good Christmas 2021

I really hope everyone had a good Christmas. I'd wish that you got what you all wanted for the holiday, but I figure a lot of us want a bunch of OSR collectibles and there is only so much to go around.....

I kid, I kid.....I hope that most of you got what you wanted and if you're one of the unlucky few who was waiting on a Christmas present from me, so not my fault it didn't arrive. If you're one of the lucky folks who picked something up from the Tavern's 12 Days of OSR Christmas I'm jealous. Highly doubtful the bundle of New Big Dragon Games Unlimited stuff I sent off has arrived yet, but if not, it is definitely on it's way.

Now I'm going to go on a bit of a stretch here and make an assumption that my gaming holiday experience (now) is a bit on the typical side for the average Tavern patron: been gaming since back in the day, family & friends know you're a gamer, but they don't really understand what that means. Maybe they know you sling dice, but the default setting for a definition of "gamer" is that you play video games. Now I don't expect this to describe anyone (other than maybe me) to a tee, but I'm guessing there's maybe a good 50-75% similarity in there somewhere.

For the most part not really "getting it" means you're not going to be getting any cool gamer stuff for Christmas. Of course you may just luck out in that regard (and if so, please share your Christmas loot with the rest of us in the comments!), but I know I didn't. Not a complaint mom (as if she reads this), just an observation. Actually since I mentioned good old mom, I'm in a weird spot in that my mother really doesn't have a clue what RPGs are despite my feeble attempts to explain. She has no clue what D&D is even though I'm certain she's read every single TSR Novel (Dragonlance, Drizzt, Forgotten Realms, etc.) made as an avid fantasy reader.

Too bad for me since I live 12 hours away. If I could get my mother to understand my hobby a bit better she might be able to look around for the rare OSR score at second-hand bookstores that I'm unable to visit. Can you imaging how cool it'd be to have your parents gift you a good copy of an OSR book (like maybe a 1st printing of the Deities & Demigods) that she found at a garage sale for $5? Almost as good as finding that yourself.......but I kind of like the thrill of the hunt, as it was, for collectibles.

Anyway, I "just" get money for Christmas. Really no complaint there as it is a gift and I can use that $ to buy some other things I didn't know I needed. On my trip this holiday season I found a new game/hobby store in Kansas City that had a bunch of miniatures I did not know I needed. I got some Warriors of the Dark Ages and Warriors of Antiquity minis from Victrix Ltd. I've never done armies of minis before, much less the mix & match sprue kind that remind me of Warhammer, but I couldn't pass these things up. I'll definitely have to work on these and report about them later as I think they have a lot of RPG potential even though they are clearly made for wargaming.

I also managed to stop by an "old" comic/hobby shop in the the college where I 1st went to school and scored some minis as well. I was at the university when this shop originally opened 30 some years ago....anyway I got some Reaper Mini Black Henchmen & Hirelings, which was pretty cool.

Altogether between these two shops I picked up 100+ minis that I can add to my collection of figures that will never get painted.

Not really a super cool score, but at least I did get some RPG stuff for Christmas and I still have a couple shops I can visit as I drive back home today.

Now I did not even know that these Reaper Minis existed and while not "super cool", I am actually excited to potentially add them to my game. I'm guessing that some of the folks here at the Tavern did get some stuff that is pretty awesome and honestly, I'd rather enjoy seeing folks share what they got in the comments. If nothing else I might get a couple of things I really want to be on the lookout for as I still have some Christmas money to spend.....

Kickstarter: Next Level Miniatures: Dragon's Hoard Miniatures Vol. 1

Not to be the one that is a negative ninny, but miniatures and Frog God Games do not go well together. Not due to any fault of Frog God Games, mind you, just a general statement based on past experience.

One should also note that I swim in the Frog God Pond, and wrote Swords & Wizardry Light for the Frogs. The simple truth, for good or ill.

Next Level Miniatures has launched a licensed Kickstarter to release miniatures from the Rappan Athuk IP of Frog God Games: Next Level Miniatures: Dragon's Hoard Miniatures Vol. 1. 

I'd love to copy and paste the details, but the Kickstarter as presented does not allow such, thus I give you the following screenshot: 

40 bucks get you 30 minis plus the unlocked stretch goals. Not a bad deal.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar  

On Minis and Convention Parties

 

Lately, for reasons, I've been a bit nostalgic about my early (non) gaming days. I remember hanging out with my one friend in middle school that had slung dice before....and more importantly, had some game catalogs he brought to rural Bumfuckistan Iowa from "the city".

I remember just pouring through those catalogs and while I cannot recall who put out the catalog I clearly remember the line-art drawings of the miniatures inside. I remember making little checklists of these Ral Partha and Grenadier minis I wanted, not that I ever got them.

Looking for these particular catalogs/graphics has been a fruitless endeavor, but I have discovered a couple of cool websites specifically for looking at these old minis, namely the Lost Minis Wiki (Minis Workshop) and DnD Lead.

When doing my quick down & dirty research I did discover that I can still get some HackMaster minis if I wanted them from Iron Wind Metals. 

I'm pretty sure I was at a GenCon (might have been Origins) party where Iron Wind Metals was throwing an epic room party to celebrate something.....a successful Kickstarter campaign maybe? My memory, for a couple reasons, is fuzzy, but I remember getting a few (older) Ral Partha minis, a large cup-full of loose weapons, and a kick-ass knife. Evidently one of the guys behind the party owned a knife company as well and rumor was he was something-military-that-I'd-normally-call-bullshit-on. Thing was this "thing" was a rumor about him and not something he was pushing. Anyway we're having fun, bullshitting, and he mentions he spent some time in the same bit of turf overseas that I had. After giving me a nice, way-too-expensive-for-my-taste smoky Scotch I told him in that overseas turf-language "Stop, or I'll shoot". It was a phrase we not only had to memorize, but carry around on a card.

That got me a laugh and some more bullshitting. I had a great time and thanked my host by giving him one of my challenge coins. Actually the one from my 1st duty station 'cause that's the one I had on me. He was moved and had his girlfriend go and get "the good stuff" from his room, the good stuff being a $5K bottle of Scotch. Beautiful hand-blown bottle and hand-carved wooden carrier. Can't tell you how it tasted because I declined.......because my palate is not sophisticated enough and the Scotch would have been wasted on me. I think he understood because he got me another shot of the smoky stuff (not normally my thing, but the smell......so good) and handed me a large box of knives for me to take my pick. Not sure if it was a good idea to give someone in my state a nice knife.......but I still have it and I've been working on improving my palate.

I know I started talking about old minis and went to a Con party gift, but you know....that's what happens when you start to get all nostalgic. I kind of warned you in the 1st sentence of this post.

Painting Day (allegedly) at the Game Store

 

News flash: I suck at painting minis.

I've actually done a good, I dare say great, job painting some of my minis in the past, but evidently miniature painting is a perishable skill and my expiration date came and went sometime in the last five years since I last painted something.

I could show you pics of minis I'm proud of, but I'm also lazy and they're roughly stored away in another room, and this post is more about my recent, shitty paint job.

My local comic book store, that has a decent RPG selection, was hosting a miniature painting event and I scored a spot in the event. For better or for worse I also had forgotten about this event and I had a date later that day so instead of painting it in the store, where I could watch a painting video, I took it home to paint where I figured I could use my personal painting "stuff" as well. A bit of a double-edged sword. If I was more skilled, having my own setup to use would have been optimal, but since I'm not.......that painting guide would have been useful.

The kit was $20 and had a Manticore mini, two brushes, and a selection of paints. I do wish there was a painting guide, but the idea was to watch the video........so a URL to the video would have been awesome as well. That way, even in the store I could watch on my phone and rewind/fast forward at my leisure.

One good thing about being at home with the mini was that mine had a severely cupped base, which I could easily fix at home with some hot & cold water before supergluing it to a thicker base of my choice.

I didn't use most of the colors in the kit, choosing to use a few colors and mix on my own. Luckily there was a generous quantity of paint in the pots, easily enough to cover the entire fig with each color if wanted. I think of the Manticore as a top-tier (but not #1) apex ambush predator, so I wanted a more muted color palette than what the picture on the box implied. I did try to do some subtle thinned down coloration using a drop or two of paint and a bunch of matte medium. The main body was one color with this thin opaque darker reddish-tan color on top and a lighter yellowish on the underbelly. I thought it'd look cool to have that color darken and extend to the base color used in the wings and the tail.  I did the same thing with the "veins" on the wings. I think it was a good idea, but I didn't pull it off.

Instead of using the wash supplied, which I should 120% should have done, I tried making my own and effed it up so bad. How bad? Yeah I went and tried to wash it off in the sink bad. I got most of it off, dried the mini with a hair drier, and then watered down my wash even more and re-applied. Meh....

I felt rushed, because of my date, but I personally think I needed the pressure or I would probably gotten little more than basing done. 

Overall though I loved the idea of a painting event at a game store and I really hope that this can be a more regular thing. The store gets the traffic, you get a social event with other like-minded players\gms\whatever label you use, and you get to brush-up on your panting skills (pun intended). I've already started getting my supplies together and am setting up a painting desk in my office just for working on terrain and minis.

I really hope WotC keeps supporting this type of thing. I do hope though that they pick a better intro mini to work with. Something with fewer tight spots (that tail) and fewer mold/flash lines. Still, you got to pick a cool mini to get people in the door.

Kickstarter - Star Hat Miniatures for DuckQuest Fantasy Role Playing Games

When is a miniatures Kickstarter not simply a miniatures Kickstarter? When its the Star Hat Miniatures for DuckQuest Fantasy Role Playing Games Kickstarter. Because all backers, thanks to stretch goals, can receive the DuckQuest Role Playing Game ruleset in PDF for backing at any level.

Oh, and the minis look damn good too.

Less than 24 hours to go.

Kickstarter - Star Hat Miniatures for DuckQuest Fantasy Role Playing Games

I'm a longtime fan of RuneQuest, having found it first with Avalon Hill's RuneQuest III, but then went back and found Chaosium's RuneQuest II, complete with Ducks. I was in love :)

All that means is that I am seriously predisposed to like Star Hat Miniatures for DuckQuest Fantasy Role Playing Games Kickstarter. It doesn't hurt that Darcy also did a limited run miniature of your favorite dwarven barkeep in the past. Heh

I must say, the Kiwi Dollar conversion to USC greatly favors the US.

Reminder, minis come unpainted.

Kickstarter - Ultimate Dinosaur Fighting 2nd ed and Expansion!

"A tactical Battle Game of Dinosaur Pit Fighting in the future. And Triassic Terror, the first expansion for Ultimate Dinosaur Fighting!"

Every year I hear Ben Burns is running a tournament of Ultimate Dinosaur Fighting at NTRPG Con and as of now, I've yet to play a session. I can only blame myself for that omission. I've heard only good things from those that have played and I have spoken with Ben about many a topic, from gaming and beyond - but never Ultimate Dinosaur Fighting. Damn it, he's been dodging me ;)

Now Ben brings us Ultimate Dinosaur Fighting 2nd ed as well as an expansion. Let's take a peek, shall we?

Step into a world where you control these ancient beasts where every stomp of the foot, twitch of the tail or flap of the wings could be their last. The game is easy to learn, fast-paced, quick to set up, has a high replay value, and is just great fun. 

You can play one-off scrimmage battles, a series of battles in a tournament setting or use our campaign rules to run a stable of dinosaurs through an entire league season. You can add in Mutations, Tech Upgrades and Training to ready your prized prehistoric gladiator to take on any beast in the pit.   

Ultimate Dinosaur Fighting is a miniature board game for 2-6 players with a playtime of 30-45 minutes, no downtime and no player elimination.

This is the second edition version of the game, with minor tweaks. We've upgraded the victory point tokens to a victory track and fully overhauled the artwork for the box, board, cards, counters, everything.  

We are also releasing the first Ultimate Dinosaur Fighting expansion: Triassic Terror. Triassic Terror includes two new dinosaurs, the Diplodocus and Pteronodons.  

Oh my. Look at those minis. I may need to get this to play with my niece :)

Kickstarter - Era: The Consortium 5th Anniversary Rulebook and Miniatures

There are times I like a Kickstarter less for its core product and more for some of the additional offerings. Such it is with Era: The Consortium 5th Anniversary Rulebook and Miniatures Kickstarter. It's not that I don't like the core rules being offered in the Kickstarter, it's just that I don't play enough sci-fi RPGs to justify investing in a new sci-fi ruleset.

Then I look at the miniatures connected to this Kickstart and I realize I want them. I certainly don't need them, but I do want them.

So, what is Era: The Consortium?

Era: The Consortium is an epic Sci-Fi Tabletop RPG with 500 years of playable history.  

Within this history, every sub-genre of Sci-Fi is available, meaning that you can play as colonists taming a new world, explorers encountering alien races, soldiers in a war against a hostile alien race, resistance members fighting against an oppressive government, and anything else you can think of! 

The endless possibilities have opened up the Consortium to some amazing roleplaying experiences, from being a member of the Resistance, trying to restore it after the Orion Incident to time travel to change the history of the Consortium! 

It's been five years since we first launched on Kickstarter. Since then, the universe has grown more than we ever imagined! With 13 expansions - each of which offers a new dimension for gameplay - three versions of the Rulebook, plus multiple sessions and campaigns released over that time, we have created a lot.

For those heavily digging sci-fi RPGs there appears to be lots of setting potential within the pages of Era. Fuck me though if I don't get continually drawn in bt the minis themselves.

I can see these working well in Rifts, Star Wars, Traveller and the like. Tempt me not Satan, for I haven't painted a mini in over 20 years! But I might...

Neither The Tavern nor myself receive compensation for Kickstarter coverage or Kickstarter posts. Some Kickstarters are brought to the attention of The Tavern by their creators. Such communication does not guarantee coverage here at The Tavern. I do not back every Kickstarter I highlight as my wallet's contents are not limitless but I do find all highlighted Kickstarters interesting for one or more reasons - Erik Tenkar

Kickstarter - DRAGONLOCK™ 3D Printable Miniatures

Wow. I want o give a huge "fuck you!" to Tom Tullis. I think he's finally pushed me over the edge. I have enough terrain that I will rarely get to use that although tempting, wasn't enough for me to take the 3d printer plunge.  Minis on demand is simply beyond tempting. 6 to 8 cents to print a mini? Yes, Fuck You Tom Tullis and your Fat Dragon Games too! Heh ;)

Now I need to negotiate the buying of a 3d printer with Rach.

$237 at Amazon - ships Prime - https://amzn.to/2GOICeQ (affiliate link)

$209 at Creality https://www.creality3donline.com/official-creality3d-ender-3-diy-3d-printer-kit_p0019.html (no affiliate)

Enough about me. Let see what you get with the DRAGONLOCK™ 3D Printable Miniatures Kickstarter.

DRAGONLOCK™ Miniatures are specifically designed to be the easiest-to-print minis you can buy for 3D printing. These miniatures are optimized for FDM-type 3D printers and do not require slicer-added supports to successfully print, as the sculpts are designed to self-support or in some cases have pre-designed supports built in. All of this means you can print highly detailed miniatures easily without having the hassles often associated with printing miniatures at home. Best of all, the miniatures in the photos you see are all printed on a $220 3D Printer and a standard 28mm miniature only costs around 6-8 cents in plastic to print!

Files are distributed via DTRPG (you AREN'T getting physical minis. You are getting the files to print your own)

Here's what you get:

(note - pledge levels include the lower level pledges before them, so $60 pledge level includes all)

$20 pledge

$40 Pledge Level

$60 Pledge Level

Stretch Goals (for $60 pledges)

Guest Poster - So, What is a Successful Kickstarter Exactly?

As I've stated before and I state again - The Tavern belongs to The Community. I am but a mere caretaker. Submit a well-written article and you may see it here - Tenkar

Hey, I am Darcy Perry from New Zealand, also known as Aotearoa (The land of the Long White Cloud) and Godzone (God’s Own Country). It’s a real place, although it may not be on your map, where they filmed the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. We have more sheep than people and the national Rugby team are called The All Blacks - because they wear black clothing (players can have any skin colour). Oh, and yeah, we don’t take life too seriously down here - or up here, depending on how you look at our rapidly spinning planet, hurtling through space while in a gravitationally connected cluster/galaxy of other similar (and not-so-similar) things surfing a wave/helix/screw-like pattern through the ever-expanding universe.

Ok, I put the word successful in the title as a tease. More on that later. Kickstarter should be no stranger to readers of the Tavern, as Tenkar loves to hold accountable those ratbags who rip off backers on this crowdfunding platform. I say ratbags because although Kickstarter calls you a Creator (or a Collaborator) when you launch a campaign, you deserve far worse than insults from Tenkar on his blog if you “take the money and run”. But wait a minute, I know more about this than the average FA-Q troll. So, pull up a seat and buy me a beer… I will tell you what I’ve experienced in the last two years from five “successful” Kickstarter campaigns.

Running a Kickstarter is a full-time job. The kind of job you don’t get paid for but you do it because you really want to see something happen. Maybe it’s your dream (or someone else’s) but the whole point is making it a real thing – a thing people will give you their money (or someone else’s) to make real. Hang on, did I say you don’t get paid?

Well, you kept reading so let’s start with the thing. Hours of love, sweat and long nights will have gone (or will go) into making this special thing. The fact that you want to share this thing with others is a reflection of you as the artist. Typically, artist’s get rich and famous after they’ve been dead for a century or so… but with Kickstarter, you can gather a crowd of folks who like what you’re making and don’t want to wait until you’re dead to enjoy it.

As a Kickstarter Creator, you will wear many hats. It’s a business expression that means you will do anything to get the job done, including work you might not enjoy so much. As an artist you will create the original thing. You will also have a hat for marketing, advertising, project management, liaising with contractors, quality control, public/media relations, shipping fulfilment and backer troubleshooting. No, you can’t shoot your backers, even the ones that cause you grief. At times you will wish you were just the artist. If you are fortunate, some friends may help you along the way and wear some of these hats efficiently, albeit briefly. Look after them, even if you can’t afford to pay them. Give them stuff. At the very least, the thing you have made. They’re your friends and their support is worth more than any “thing”.

There will be tyre-kickers. They really don’t want your thing. They really want their thing. It might be similar to your thing but it’s smaller or bigger or most likely, cheaper. Provide them with what they want and they will “thank you in advance” but in the meanwhile they will suck up your precious time with messages and emails, to prove how important their opinion is and why you’re doing it all wrong. They might even back you for a dollar… but will likely drop their pledge before the Kickstarter funding deadline, with a well-intended lie about buying it later when it’s something they really want.

When the money (eventually) comes in from Kickstarter, minus fees and taxes, pay everyone who is running a business first. For my Kickstarters, the main pledge rewards for backers are miniatures. The original sculpting is usually my own, on my own time. So I will be paid last, if at all. The casters who supply the miniatures are paid for production costs (skill, time, materials) of the miniatures the backers pledged for – so the casters get paid first. When the miniatures are packed (more costs: labour/packing materials), they are ready to post and the costs of shipping will kill you. International shipping especially. It will kill you dead. You will leave a note in your Will to pay the postal service. If there is some money left over, pay your Collaborators - or at least give them a promise of payment and make sure you deliver on that debt - you may want to work with them again!

During the production, contractors may let you down. When a project is delayed, Kickstarter funds disappear like water poured out on the desert sands. Normal business expenses that go out each month, still go out each month, even though you can’t concentrate on other work while your Kickstarter fulfilment is delayed. Power, phone, internet, accounting fees, etc. They all add up. Don’t worry about rent and food – your Kickstarter was never designed to cover basic living costs. You will need another job to help pay for the privilege of running a successful Kickstarter. The biggest cost will be time. Time with your loved ones. Time with peace of mind. Time making other things. If something can go wrong, it probably will. Nobody will worry about this more than you. Talk to your friends or get religion. Don’t let anybody get your spirit down. You can do this!

The average backer treats Kickstarter like a bargain bin webstore having a fire sale. You will post updates and keep backers informed of all the issues, small achievements and minor setbacks… even how to fill out the all-important backer surveys… but most won’t read them. Don’t blame them for this lack of enthusiasm during the production phase. They just want the thing in their hands to enjoy. Their main response comes after their packages are delivered (and this may take months if they rely on the Canadian postal service). Remember, above all, they backed your Kickstarter. They backed you and you shared your creation with them. Rejoice and say thank you to everyone. Everyone!

So, what is a successful Kickstarter exactly? For me, it is a collaborative community, connected by the thing you are creating. It’s about putting that thing out there for others to enjoy. It’s also about sacrificing a part of your life and leaving yourself open to all manner of abuse. There will be haters. Ignore them. There will be new friends. Reward them. Kickstarter has enabled me to give back in a very significant way to a lifelong pastime - I love this hobby and the way it brings everyone to the table. After all that is said and done, is running a Kickstarter worth the effort? YES! To everyone who has backed or collaborated on my Kickstarters past, present and future… THANK YOU!


Darcy Perry

Star Hat Miniatures



Last Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darcyperry/dungeons-of-doom-v-law-vs-chaos-star-hat-miniature

Final days on Backerkit here: https://starhatminiatures.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

Star Hat Miniatures Webstore: https://starhatminiatures.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarHatMiniatures/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+DarcyPerry

Blogger: https://hitstokill.blogspot.com/

Kickstarter - Ral Partha’s Chaos Wars - Wave 3

Damn it! More minis. I love minis, even if I hardly ever use them in game and I haven't painted any in over 25 years.

Ral Partha era minis are so damn cool. Grenadier and Ral Partha were my go-to miniature lines in my teens and early 20s. The Ral Partha's Chaos War - Wave 3 Kickstarter looks damn cool.

Interestingly there is only one backer level - a buck. You find a pledge you like and simply pledge that amount. Want more than one set? Add up the costs for each set. Not a bad way to do it.

Kickstarter - Impact! Miniatures Presents: The Lost KS Mini Project

OK. I must admit. I find the Impact! Miniatures Presents: The Lost KS Mini Project Kickstarter very interesting.

Instead of sculpting their own line of miniatures, Impact! Miniatures has instead licensed or bought the rights to the minis from prior Kickstarters. Those that funded and only had a single run made, those that failed to fund and in one case, those that funded and failed to produce (more on the Torn Armor KS later in this post).

I should note, these minis are 3d prints. They are not metal and are not Reaper Bones either. I've seen some recent 3d printed mins and ecept for the color I couldnt tell a difference in detail between them and metal (that being said, my eyes aren't what they used to be ;)

So, which miniatures lines are available in this Kickstarter?

• Miniatures from the discontinued board game Wizard's Academy
• Miniatures from the closed company ZN Games
• Miniatures from the discontinued line for Breachworld by Jason Richards
• Miniatures from the discontinued line by Hivetrygon Minis
• Miniatures from closed company Soul Jar
• Miniatures from the failed to fund KickStarter Dawn of the Archmage
• Miniatures from the failed KickStarter Torn Armor 

I'm seriously tempted by the Breachworld minis myself. Damn it! heh

For those asking "what's the deal with the Torn Armor minis and Kickstarter?"

One of the group of STL files I was able to purchase was the STLs from the Torn Armor KS project that funded but failed to deliver.   While I have no connection to that project at all, I will work with you to get you some/all of the miniatures at cost + shipping.   I set up a special $2 reward level to assist with handling this.

Note: the "I" referred to above is Tom Anders, not your bartender :)

The Tavern Chat Podcast - Episode 97 - Kickstarter Roundup for August 21, 2018

Ah, sweet Tuesday. Kickstarter Day at The Tavern Chat Podcast ;)

Time to dig into some Kickstarters! Dungeons of Doom V: Law Vs Chaos, The City that Dripped Blood: A Fantasy Adventure, Dungeon Challenge Cards, THE FANTASY TRIP – Old-School Roleplaying!, MAIN GAUCHE, and Precision Milled Metal 60-Sided D20 and Full Set of RPG Dice.

Link to Episode 97 - https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/Episode-97---Kickstarter-Roundup-for-August-21--2018-e22o8u

Links to the projects:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darcyperry/dungeons-of-doom-v-law-vs-chaos-star-hat-miniature

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-city-that-dripped-blood-a-fantasy-adventure/x/512954#/

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/102137316/dungeon-challenge-cards-for-use-with-many-tabletop/description

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sjgames/the-fantasy-trip-old-school-roleplaying/description

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grimandperilous/main-gauche-a-zweihander-grim-and-perilous-rpg-sup?ref=category&ref=discovery&term=rpg

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/flyinghorseduck/precision-milled-metal-60-sided-d20-and-full-set-o?ref=discovery&term=rpg

Kickstarter - Dungeons of Doom V: Law Vs Chaos + Star Hat Miniatures

Darcy Perry is a Kiwi that knows his minis :) His latest Kickstarter is Dungeons of Doom V: Law Vs Chaos by Star Hat Miniatures. Star Hat is the same company that did the Tenkar mini a while ago. Damn, but it rocks.

This time around Darcy is doing Law vs Chaos. As usual, the miniatures look damn amazing. As usual, I'll be backing even if I like the time and skills to paint them. They look great unpainted in any case.

They're back! By popular demand! More Delvers lost in the Dungeons of Doom! Just in time for the cosmic battle between Law & Chaos!  

Welcome to the 5th Kickstarter campaign from Star Hat Miniatures! Dungeons of Doom V: Law Vs Chaos features more heroic delvers from the Dungeons of Doom, caught in the eternal battle of righteous order against the shadowy miasma of entropy.  

Star Hat Miniatures are heroic scale fantasy miniatures, sculpted by hand and cast in metal, for you to enjoy in your roleplaying and tabletop games. The funds from each Kickstarter campaign pay for the mould making and casting of new miniatures. Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini (My success is not my own, but from many others).

I'll be doing a live recording of the Tavern Chat Podcast this coming Monday night at 830 PM Eastern (August 20th) with Darcy. You'll be able to listen live on the Tenkar's Tavern Discord Server and offer up comments and questions via text chat.

The Tavern Chat Podcast - Episode 76 - Kickstarter Roundup for July 31, 2018

Time for another weekly Kickstarter Roundup. The Good, the Bad and the downright UGLY ;)

Yep, today is a Tuesday and we have the latest Kickstarter Roundup. Eldritch Century: Monsters Wave 1, Void RPG Logo, Dice Tube - All Weather, Fantasy World Creator, and THE FANTASY TRIP – Old-School Roleplaying!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dracostudios/eldritch-century-resin-miniatures-wave-1?ref=newest&ref=discovery&term=rpg

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alithnul/void-rpg-logo?ref=discovery&term=rpg

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1871496317/all-weather-dice-tube?ref=discovery&term=rpg

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2031918013/fantasy-world-creator?ref=discovery&term=rpg

tenkars-tavern.games/TheFantasyTrip

Giveaway - Dust 1947 Miniature - Gamers on Games Channel

The Gamers on Games Youtube Channel is giving away a Dust 1947 miniature. I'm not much of a war-gamer these days but I do know a significant portion of The Tavern's readership is, so here's you chance to win a free mini. Heck, even if you don't play Dust 1947, its a free mini and that's damn cool.

Watch the video, pick a winning side for the upcoming battle (and add it as a comment to the Youtube video linked above) and if you pick right, you'll be in the pool from which the winner is picked. Pretty cool.

You can enter until Feb 15, 2018.

Kickstarter - 28mm High Detail Pre-Painted Plastic Miniatures (what it says on the tin)

So, why am I highlighting the 28mm High Detail Pre-Painted Plastic Miniatures Kickstarter? A few reason and they all come down as lessons for others.

Pre-painted minis is a damn good idea. I love minis and have neither the skill nor the time to paint them. Then why is this campaign so unexciting to me?

First, the Kickstarter title should be something like "Role 4 Initiative Presents Pre-Painted Plastic Minis for RPGs" or such. As it is, the title is so generic as to be forgettable.

Then there are the pics of the samples. Could they have found worse lighting? Seriously, when you are trying to sell a physical product, presentation is everything and this is simply a failure to execute.

For five bucks a painted mini I don't expect much, but I do expect pics that show some sort of details, even if the details are a lack of details. The project is called "28mm High Detail Pre-Painted Plastic Miniatures".

The following has slightly better lighting and shows some detail (and promise)

Still, the colors are muddied from the lack of lighting.

Then there are the stretch goals that have the potential to drive this project into the red - if it had any hope of funding -

Physical stretch goals change the cost to complete the project. While fun to add, they are dangerous.

Oh, and don't sit in shorts in your video. Sometimes less is more. No video would have been more.

There you have it. Good idea poorly presented.

Kickstarter - Dungeons of Doom III - Dragon Slayers - Star Hat Miniatures

Simply put, Star Hat Miniatures offers some great minis, and I'm not just saying that because they did an official "Tenkar" mini with their last Kickstarter. They are, quite simply, awesome minis.

You get the above Delvers Lost in the Dungeon of Doom for about $59 USD plus shipping. The detail is awesome. I really can't say enough praise about them.

And if you want LAST Kickstarter's assortment, it about 80 bucks USD (original prices are in NZ dollars) - last assortment included Tenkar, just so you know ;)

Its about $259 USD to get this collection to your door painted. My God, what a temptation.

Kickstarter - Dungeons of Doom 3 - Dragon Slayers - Star Hat Miniatures

Darcy Perry does some really fine sculpts. In his last Kickstarter, Darcy did a sculpt of Tenkar the Dwarf, and holy shit, was it on target. He sent me a painted version of Tenkar and I keep it dearly - there is magic there.

Anyhow, Darcy has a new Kickstarter with new sculpts and they look damn fine.

So, here's my suggestion. Back Delvers Lost in the Dungeons of Doom III and ask if you can add Tenkar as an add on. The mini really is awesome. I'm so glad I said yes when asked ;)

Oh, yes, I'll be backing the latest Kickstarter from Darcy. Simply put, the man does amazing work and even if I haven't gotten around to painting minis after a year in retirement, you never know ;)

When Cats Attack - The Tenkar Official Mini Arrived and is Met by the Official Tenkar Cat

Not too long ago, +Darcy Perry asked if he could include a "Tenkar" miniature in his upcoming Kickstarter. BTW, it shipped EARLY! I was honored to say yes. We'll, my set of minis arrived this week and they are awesome. Even better, Tenkar arrived painted! Man, what an amazing and detailed paint job. The above pic does not do it justice.

Of course, Ashley had to let her opinion be known. That isn't her biting Tenkar below - she's rubbing against him. She knows her daddy, even in mini form :)

Darcy's Facebook page with more mini goodness.