Initial Thoughts: The Lost Lands: Stoneheart Valley

I am four sessions into my first Lost Lands campaign using the Swords and Wizardry Complete rules.Despite a few learning pains, I am enjoying it! The rules are lightweight which allows flexibility during play, though there are a few instances I needed more defined rules. We originally started with three players but now rocking a full party of five.

The campaign is set in Frog God Games’ Lost Lands setting. I pitched this setting as a midway point between the decline of magic such as Tolkien and the high fantasy of Forgotten Realms. The setting intrigued me and with the prospect of a new game group I bought The Lost Lands: Stoneheart Valley based on suggestions as a great induction to both the ruleset and setting. In later posts, I’ll post my thoughts on actual play experiences. But for now I wanted to share my thoughts based on initial read through of the whole book. Note this is based on the PDF.

The book breaks down into four main sections. The three are previously published adventures updated to conform to FFG’s new setting. They are The Wizard’s Amulet, The Crucible of Freya, and The Tomb of Abysthor. The Wizard’s Amulet is very linear but intentionally. It is designed as an introduction for both players as well as GMs. There is a monster encounter that even experienced GMs will find useful. The Crucible of Freya presents a followup adventure but is not as linear and can be played with more flexibility.This adventure also includes a small town that can be used as a starting hub for adventures. It includes NPCs, a few locations, and a number of hooks intended to entice the party to stay a bit and explore the countryside. This alone should offer at least a handful of gaming nights.

The Tomb of Abysthor is a dungeon location near the city of Bard’s Gate. There is plenty here for multiple nights of exploration. Be warned, this is where the challenge level gets particularly nasty and I suggest warning new players that blindly exploring the dungeon level by level is ill advised. There are a number of new items and spells found in the dungeon with associated new rules located in the final section.

The quantity of artwork in the book seems a bit light, though much that does exist is phenomenal. There are a number of instances where the artwork presents an opportunity help create the scene. A number of times, I snipped the picture out and used it for this purpose. The other big standout are the maps which are easy to read and more importantly include both keyed and unkeyed. This is great if you're using the maps on a virtual table or for actual handouts. The only negative with the maps is the lack of a real regional map, a downfall if you're using this book to introduce your players to the Lost Lands.

Overall, the book is a compelling read. Full of usable material even if the learn to crawl before you walk approach the book takes is a turnoff. Both the town of Fairhill and the Tomb of Abysthor offers plenty of adventure hooks to keep parties entertained for weeks. And it is wrapped up in an affordable package. My only complaint is that I wish there was a small gazetteer of the Lost Lands included. As the book aims more at new players, I think not including an overview of the world and some of its nuances is a missed opportunity. However, I still recommend GMs grabbing a copy of this book for their collections.

Stay tuned throughout the year as I plan on posting thoughts on each section as I play through them with my play group.

Cheers.

PS, all purchases using OBS affiliate links drops a few cents in my account to help with purchasing items that I plan on running and writing about. If you wish to avoid this but plan on purchasing the above products, simply visit drivethrurpgDOTcom and type the game in the search menu. Cheers!

Hobby Update: 13 Feb 2017

I have been quite busy the last two weeks, and decided to share a hobby update.

On the miniature front, I finished four Stormcast Enternals with a fifth waiting for some paint on its wings. Currently on a holding pattern until I get to the hobby shop afterwords  expect some pictures. In the mean time I have started an additional five which have been base coated.

I participated in another monthly event of Star Trek Attack Wing. I didn't manage to buy the scout cube but I did pick up another Dominion ship to start building out that fleet. That places the number of events at two! However, they were not the only games I played!

My weekend two weeks ago was filled with awesomeness. First, my sister and her husband visited for a Saturday play date with the kids. Me and the brother-in-law took advantage of this. Last year he expressed interest in miniature gaming so for Christmas I bought him a starter box of Malifuax Gremlins. As you can see, not bad painting for his first time. We played a henchman battle to teach him the game. I played a wonky Neverborn crew using Candy. No real combos but it was just great playing the game again.

Later that night we also played a game of dominion. I have the Alchemy expansion but I think it is time for an additional one as I feel like the game is getting a bit stale.

That was not the only fun that weekend! Joey came up Sunday to spend the night. Hearing that I played a game of Malifuax, he asked that we do the same. We decided on a massive 50SS game which allowed him to use some new models he picked up for his Outcasts. It was a pretty tight game, I was trying to maneuver for objectives and he was going straight towards the face. I love how this game focuses on attaining victory points rather than simply trying to table your opponent.

Latter that night we played dominion again with my wife, yup time for a new expansion. In the morning we played STAW and then headed downstairs for another round of Malifuax. This time we played a smaller game which allowed me to bring out my own Gremlin crew for the first time. They are definitely fun to play, but the strategy rolled against me and I don't have the additional models to adjust the game plan for. It was still a fun match, and really renewed my zeal to play the jump back into the game.

In regards to RPG side of things, I still have not managed to play any games. But I am posturing for it. I worked out the playing schedule with the Ultima Forsan group and I think I picked out what campaign I will be playing for the Sunday crew. Expect more latter.

Hope you enjoyed this. What plans for the hobby do you have the next couple weeks?

Miniature Wargame Resolutions 2017

Hello again! Time for another round of resolutions. Last time focused on my RPG hobby. Today I will list my ten goals for miniature gaming. The last couple of years I have fallen victim to the cult of the new shinny resulting in a collection of rules and minis. Unfortunately, last year I played fewer games than I hoped. This year the ultimate plan is to paint and play more! 

1. Organize my collection: A simple look at the man cave reveals how disorganized my collection is. There are models in various stages of completion on every shelf in the room. The number of games I collected over the years is ridiculous. Being honest with myself, I really need to cut down. Additionally, we are preparing to move homes. This is a opportunity to asses I am at with my hobby. This year I need to catalog my collection and create a plan forward for all of them.
2. Paint up a Dark Age board: DA is currently one of my favorite mini games, and one I simply do not play enough of. I just recently bought terrain from Warsen.al that I want to fully paint. These pieces and a few smaller bits would make an absolutely brilliant board. And with a board, I should probably play on it. For this goal I want to have a full board and play on it twice.
3. Paint up and play Escape from Goblin Town: Somebody awesome purchased this box set from GW for Christmas and it demands my attention! The models are simply some of the most elegant models I've seen in a while. Unfortunately it means two more armies that need painted! I guess I should be realistic and aim for playing two scenarios with fully painted armies. 
4. Age of Sigmar Starter Box: For my birthday last year my wife gave me the starter box for AoS. After years of avoiding Warhammer, I simply could not resist the appeal of their reworked rules. The set contains everything I could hope for, enough incredible models to field sizable armies, and a small campaign that I can play with a friend. This year I want to paint both armies in the box and play all the scenarios found in the rulebook. Perhaps if things go well, I will get the other campaign books and play those the following year!
5. Paint left over Malifaux crews: Competing with Dark Age as one of my favorite games is Malifaux. between the two, it is one that I have played the most in the past. However, last year I failed to play a single game. A friend of mine got a starter box for Christmas so I see playing this a bit more. I also have a number of unfinished crews laying around on my shelves. In anticipation of playing more Malifaux, it would be nice to paint a few of these models. The goal is to finish at least two of the crews and playing four matches.
6. Battletech: I'll admit that this may be part nostalgic. My neighbor and I used to play this game when we were in high school and I always think of that when I bring out my box set. But another aspect the ability to set up a whole campaign. My buddy and I recently started one of the campaigns found in one of the starter books. The two matches that we already completed reminded me of both the strength and weakness of BT, the complexity. If your looking for a game with some meaty rules and charts galore then this is your jam. But if your extremely strapped for time, you may want to move on. But so far, I think we figured out how to keep track of things in a way that lets us prepare the game before he heads over. This one may take a bit more work then I would like but hopefully I can get in four more matches within our campaign.
7. Star Trek Attack Wing: This may may seem a bit odd for me. It is not as popular as its Star Wars counterpart, and is not greatly supported. I am not even that big of a Star Trek fan. But I love this game. It is simple to teach and easy to set up. I also love the maneuver dials that allow for an awesome movement phase. It also works out that my schedule shifted so that I can play in the monthly OP event held at my local game store. Time to pack up a fleet and go! Play at least six games some of which during a organized play event.
8. Play Uncharted Seas: One of my favorite games that is no longer really supported. I have a number of fleets, all in various states of being painted. Sometime this year I would love to get in a game with fully painted fleets. Possibly with multiple players!
9. Use my airbrush: Airbrushing seems to be the latest rage and I have everything that I need. This year, I learn to join the crowd! Perhaps I will start with the terrain that I got this year for Christmas.
10. Play in public: I haven't played much in public, most of my games have been with the same person. This year I would like to change this and get involved in my local community. I would like to play at either a store or a convention on six separate occasions. 

As you can see, it looks like I have a lot of painting to accomplish this year. In order to do it, I may have to get creative with my hobby time. Expect some posts that serve as an organizational tool in the next few months.

Until then, do you have any goals this year relating to your mini hobby?

RPG Resolutions 2017

Since the original intention of TSRA was discuss rpgs, it's fitting to start my resolutions my plan for the hobby. Despite being excited as I returned the hobby last year, I got lost in a number of things. Many of which revolved around failing to stay on target! These following resolutions should keep me focused throughout the year.

1. Reassess my rpg hobby priorities: Once I started diving into the hobby, I became slightly overwhelmed. With so many systems and genres out there, it distracts from simply sitting down and playing. I hope to narrow down this list of games and focus on just them. This list is the first step towards that! No real measurable goals here, just want to feel like I'm in control of my hobby.
2. Play more: Kind of obvious. Despite reading so many articles, collecting materials, and listening to podcasts, I rarely played any games. The goal is to play twelve sessions. This is one game a month. Should be doable.
3. Organize my physical collection: Ah, yes. I guess I should mention that I am a collector of things. I love both the nostalgia of the past and the pleasing look of an exciting collection. Unfortunately, currently my collection has no rhyme or reason. This is problematic for two reasons. My collection looks more like a collection of random stuff. And then the money used in buying these books comes from the same hobby budget that everything else comes from. Purchasing scattered books haphazardly fails grow the collection in any appreciative way nor assist in simple budgeting. I plan on categorizing what I already own, and then create a game for growing the collection.
4. Renew my online game: The big one. A group of friends and I where in the closing chapters of a Savage Worlds adventure when life happened. A string of events effected each one of us in succession. I really this game continues. Ultima Forsan is a wonderful setting and the PCs were being taken to fun and interesting places. I want to revitalize this game. 
5. Try out D&D 5E: I keep hearing good things about this system from different communities. Apparently WoTC manged to combine elements from the two different D&D camps. I own the starter box, which may be enough for me to try out the system. Ultimately I would like to play at least a session or two.
6. Play a Cthulhu game: I want to play in the paranoid world of Cthulhu. I am not even concerned about the system, though Trail or Achtung are most likely. Cthulhu campaigns seem to be good for one shots, which may help me in the saving time department. At least one full scenario is the goal.
7. Play face to face with old friends: I like playing with my old group online but not everyone can join our designated night. And while there are benefits to online, nothing really beats that feeling of sitting at a table with your best friends. I would love to just play a scenario or two of something.
8. Not GMing for a session: Don't get me wrong, I love GMing and will remain as a primary focus. But I would like to have a go at being a player. I can't even remember the last time that I just played a PC. One session would be a nice breather!
9. Write my own piece of work: I really want to write my own rpg material and possibly be published in the future. I have a number of ideas, themes, settings, systems floating in my head and would like to get at least one of these onto paper! I want to focus on one piece of work and get a rough draft finished by the end of the year.
10. Run a OSR game: I love the simple yet elegant rule sets that have come out of the old school renaissance. There is something refreshing about the idea of quickly rolling up characters and charging into dungeons. Cut straight to the action! Ideally I thing it would be neat to do this face to face, but hell, I'll settle for a couple of online sessions.

So there we are, the first of my 2017 resolutions. It is a big list and I am sure I will not be able to get it all in but I think it just may keep me focused. Stay tuned for more new year resolutions!

But till then, what are your plans for rpgs this year?

Happy New Year

First I guess I should say happy new year. It was a wild year for me, one that really felt like it got out of my hands in many aspects. This is evident from the complete lack of posts after I started this blog. I really plan to change that with the new year. What better time to try to refresh yourself like than the beginning of the year!

With that being said expect a number of post this month. One recounting where I am at with my Ultima Forsan rpg game. The game is not dead yet. There is one AAR that I am working on now, and the group really wants to get this going again. I think I may be able to resurrect this game. We shall see.

The other posts will be resolution style posts. These posts will highlight the direction this blog will be going. Instead of simply focusing on rpgs, I am going to include all my interests. This includes hobby gaming, wargaming, video games, and other general nerdy aspects such as movies, anime, books, and comics. These other things will be generally limited as the main purpose of the blog will remain game oriented.

With all this said, I hope to create an awesome community. Expect a number of posts these next few weeks!