Random Thoughts: RPG Planning...

I haven't forgotten about you all, I promise! Preparing to move, working extra hours, actually enjoying the hobby, and spending quality time with the family has kept me busy. There are a number of posts in various drafts in the hopper so expect some within the next two weeks. Till then, I hope you enjoy this trip into where my mind has been!

One of the things interfering from effective use of hobby time is an abundance of choices. This began with a simple debate of running an pre-written campaign or one of my own imagination. Regardless of path, there are many options. Between reading Endzeitgeist or listening to Savage World podcasts, I've found numerous established worlds that I want to go out and explore. There are at least ten I can name without really thinking. To complicate matters, I have about five more worlds of my own creation floating around in my head!

The key to deciding what games to run is time. Other than the awesomeness of some pre-written worlds, being able to grab something already created and running with it has some appeal. Some settings even include epic adventure paths that span multiple sessions and levels. To run these, reading through of the material is the only prep needed. Downloading the products to my kindle allows me to read during lunch. Now that is efficiency! Two downsides is the danger of railroad

Running something of my own creation requires a greater commitment of time, especially considering the need to adapt rules for the setting. Once that is done, then there are all the adventures that need to be created. This amounts to time, and if there is anything that learn from this blog it is that time is valuable and must be managed!

I mulled over all these choices this weekend. Today, I decided the best plan is to pick a goal and just run with it. I have decided to run three different games.

First is the Ultima Forsan game I am running with my brother, cousin, and friend. After talking to each of them and we agreed to finish our first season and then make an effort to play more regularly. This game pretty important to me as I know the guys I'm playing with, feel safe GMing for them, and love the setting. Savage Worlds is also a breeze to run. My PCs all have histories that the players and myself still want to explore. The plan is to play every other Thursday. By the way, the 3rd AAR should be arriving shortly.

Game number two most likely will be another online game. The goal for this one is two run a loose campaign similar to Pathfinder Society or D&D Adventure league. This allows players to participate when they can, and run one shots or small adventure arcs. I am leaning towards one Sunday night a month for this one. Once I have somethings ironed out expect to hear more, I may even ask for players!

Finally, I want to run a homebrew. I picked out one setting already know which ruleset will be used as a framework. Ideally I will play at my local gaming store. However if I use the ruleset that I want to, I may need to go online to find enough players. Before I actually get to the point of making that decision, I am going to take a month or two to flesh out the world and game mechanics. I am already working on my first post about this one, so stay tuned.

So these plans should keep me entertained for the near future.

What were your deciding factors to run the games you current GM?

Armies on Display: Lord Celestant

Man, what a two weeks. Between work and selling/buying a house, my hobby time has been pretty limited. Oh, and my brother let me borrow FF15.... so yeah.

But I managed to finish my Lord Celestant from the AoS starter box, BEHOLD!!!

This may have been the most complex model that I have worked on yet, as fitting a center piece and general. I followed the guide found at WarhammerTV aiming to learn the techniques that GW is pushing. Overall, I really love the color scheme and the new techniques I learned will make it into my normal painting routine.

Some warnings about the model. If you are just starting out in the hobby, take your time and buy some green stuff before hand. Trying to get the pieces to fit perfectly can be a very trying time. Some of this may have been negated if I dry fitted pieces before using. I also realized to late that I should have sanded down the green stuff after it dried. I recommend painting the rider separately from the mount. It will make your life easier!

Despite being a difficult model to put together and paint, I am very satisfied with this model. Like I said before, this is the first time that I did a model such as this one and I look forward to challenging my skills in the future.

Two things I need to work on: Thinning my paint correctly and applying green stuff.

What models have you completed recently?

On the Agenda: Weekend of the 28JAN17

One the Agenda is where I discuss some of my plans for a period of time. This post is about the weekend. I know I already missed a day but we were looking for houses which kept me away from the computer. But I do have a three day weekend so plenty of time for hobby!

On the miniature front I really want to get my Lord-Celestant painted to near finish. I say near finish because I still need a pot or two of paint that needs purchased. I also still have to figure out what I want to do with the base. Stay tuned for a work in progress!

I also have been feeling really nostalgic lately. So this weekend I plan on playing some Sonic the Hedgehog on the Genesis and Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits (the PS2 game imported onto the PS4). AtL has become my recent brain dead game. You know, that thing you turn to when your just to exhausted to concentrate on much!

What are your plans for the weekend?

AAR: Star Trek Attack Wing - The Corbomite Maneuver

While mapping an unexplored region of space, an unidentified object approaches your fleet at light speed, but it slows down as it nears your ships. As you attempt to move away from it, it follows your every move and won’t let you escape. You determine that it is a space buoy and quickly learn that it is emitting a radiation that is harmful to your ships. You must find a way to escape it or destroy it.


Suddenly, you are set upon by an enemy fleet. The enemy ships seem to have the same problems with the buoy. Will your fleet survive the deadly radiation as well as the attacks from the enemy fleet?

I began my quest of playing more games within my gaming community by showing up for the monthly STAW OP event at the local gaming store. This month we played The Corbomite Maneuver. There were four of us which meant only two rounds. To tell the truth, on a weekday that is just fine. The guys were great and completely understanding that I am relatively new to the game. They even taught me some new tricks.

I brought the following list (we play 130 point pure lists):
Queen Vessel Prime (42)
Tactical Drone (3)
Transwarp Signal (4)
Magnus Hansen (1)
Borg Sphere (38)
Tactical Drone (4)
Four of Twelve (2)
Borg Type 03 (36)
Drone (0)

I manged to go one and one with this list. I never managed to use the Transwarp Signal on the Queen vessel and I now thing that those four points may be better going towards a captain on the third ship. I also think for the next event I may swap out the Type 03 for a scout cube even though that would limit me strictly to range 2 ships. It will be a store time decision though since I will make the cube my buy in towards the event.

As for my thoughts on the event, the gimmick fell a bit flat. Of the four matches played, the buoy was destroyed during the first round of firing with no one in its radius. In the match where is remained after the first turn, we largely ignored it. It actually followed me for a bit but I always found it more of a small problem than a large threat. It just didn't seem to have much importance on the table. I think is could have posed a greater threat if either the buoy had an increase in damage or blast radius. A harder to destroy target may have increased the excitement as well.

Overall I enjoyed my time there and learned a few things about other fleets as well as my own. I do plan on making this a reacquiring event. The night did make me start thinking about starting a new fleet....

Have you tried this OP? If you did tell us what you thought!

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!