Graph Paper Games

It's been a bit, but I've been keeping busy. The new D&D campaign has been going very well.  It's been nice being able to work with a different group with new personalities and styles. That's in addition to the regular campaign, which has been getting back into the swing of things with some solid gameplay.  They managed to clear most of the first level of the Dungeon of the Mad Mage , and are now making serious headway into the second. Finally, I've been printing and painting a bit.  Here are some examples: So lots of good gaming and more stuff than I have time to paint.  Thanks for reading!

The boss monster...or is he? Back in May a local denominational-affiliated campus ministry group asked me, a pastor, if I would be willing to run a Dungeons & Dragons game for their members.  I'll admit I was flattered, intrigued, and most importantly excited because of the entire group, only one person (my son, Mac) had played D&D before.  Many of them had heard about the game, researched it online and watched videos and listened to podcasts, and a couple had even gone so far as to buy the Player's Guide , but that was it. So I began to put together a campaign with the intent of "converting" people to becoming gamers.  My goal?  In one or two sessions to get them hooked, not to mention up to speed on the game's rules.  In addition, I wanted to try to instill my own ethos about what good roleplaying and group culture looked like. And that was why I was excited.  And last night, we finally had our first session, and it was a blast. I used "T...

Last Christmas, I was given a 3D printer as a present and began immediately building the type of gaming items I used to use Hirst Arts molds to create: terrain for wargaming and modular dungeons for roleplaying games.  When I researched the topic, going online and talking to friends, I found first one company, then a second who provided the "patterns" for making modular dungeons. The first was Fat Dragon Games , which makes not only files for modular dungeons but also fantasy buildings, the odd sci-fi terrain pieces, and most recently a huge batch of fantasy monsters to be printed out on your printer.  In addition, the owner of the company, Tom Tullis, created a huge support network through social media and YouTube on maintaining and getting the most out of your printer, tips and tricks, painting guides, etc.  Recently FDG participated in a great Humble Bundle charity program where you could buy a significant amount of their product for a ridiculously low price, of all o...

So, as you may know if you look at the last post, I moved over to my old Wordpress blog for several months.  The thing is, it felt like nobody moved with me. In addition, for whatever reason I found the Wordpress blog interface to be full of bells and whistles that not only did I not want, but also made it harder to write. So I blogged less.  And nobody read it.  Around the same time I stopped reading blogs, which meant I was losing a lot of inspiration as well.  So this part of my hobby life basically dried up and died. But, I am gaming, probably more than I have in a while.  So what have I been up to? Roleplaying Games My regular gaming group has been slogging slowly through the Dungeon of the Mad Mage , and honestly it has really not hit its stride.  We are only on the second level, and the odd bits of randomness is getting to be a bit much sometimes.  For example one room is full of water, which rushes down upon the players when the door opens...

I checked the stats, and my last post telling people I moved has gotten over 120 views, while at the new blog I'm lucky to get single digits.  So what have you missed over there? Over 20 new posts. Descriptions of the D&D campaign I've been running since 3Q2018. Several painted miniatures A whole bunch of things I have done on my new 3D printer, including a modular dungeon and a cosplay Star Wars blaster. So go check out Strange Vistas , unless you're a Russian gambling robot, whom I am suspecting made up more of my readership that I had feared.

For the time being, I've moved my blogging here: https://strangevistas.wordpress.com/

So far, my decision to use Waterdeep: Dragon Heist  appears to be a wise one.  The group is enjoying the rich tapestry of personages the book has to offer, and I find myself freed up from stressing about what to do next.  Without getting into any spoilers, the group is in the second chapter of the adventure, a curiously low-key exploration phase before beginning ratcheted back up in chapter three to a pace that will continue for the rest of the book.  The long-time GM in me is mildly disappointed that I'm not creating my own material, but this has given me the time to focus on a lot of other projects, including renovating the game room.  I will have to see if I transition from Dragon Heist  to Dungeon of the Mad Mage .  In November two of my players will have a baby, while after Christmas break another player's schedule changes so he is no longer available on my game night.  That leaves me with three players, all youth rather than adults.  At...