I finally did it.
Not only is it assembled, but I also have it primed! A dark brown base coat comes next.
These pictures don't show the floors I added made out of wooden coffee stirrers, but it's there, and it's enough to stand some figures on.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Fieldstone Bell Tower Ruins
As I mentioned before, the bell tower I'm building is actually the 2nd I've attempted. The first one I didn't follow the directions, and screwed it up, then when trying to fix it, I broke it. I kept the pieces, most of them anyway, with the thought of turning it into a ruined bell tower.
I finally did it.
Not only is it assembled, but I also have it primed! A dark brown base coat comes next.
These pictures don't show the floors I added made out of wooden coffee stirrers, but it's there, and it's enough to stand some figures on.
I finally did it.
Not only is it assembled, but I also have it primed! A dark brown base coat comes next.
These pictures don't show the floors I added made out of wooden coffee stirrers, but it's there, and it's enough to stand some figures on.
Monday, November 28, 2011
A place of evil...
I'm actually well into painting the bell tower, but well behind in posting about it.
However, before we get to that I embarked on yet another side project - an evil shrine! It's built from the remains of the original bell tower's upper section, with some repairs and adjustments.
Simple, small, but effective I think.
However, before we get to that I embarked on yet another side project - an evil shrine! It's built from the remains of the original bell tower's upper section, with some repairs and adjustments.
Simple, small, but effective I think.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Sunday Inspirational Image - Garden Castles
All from Harry's Miniature Castles (1920s - 1966)
Throughout South Hero, Vermont USA • For over thirty years, gardener Harry Barber found a unique way to blend his native country of Switzerland with his new home in Vermont. He created miniature buildings from local Vermont field stone. Five castles, three houses, and several garden structures remain in the Islands. They vary in complexity. Some castles feature glazed windows, interior fireplaces, or dungeons. Others are wired for electricity and have the capability of running water in the moat. … All his creations are privately owned, and public access is not permitted; however four out of the five castles can be seen from the road. – From a brochure issued by the Lake Champlain Bikeways.
Don't forget to enter my Terrainsgiving Contest!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Happy Terrainsgiving Contest
I have quite a number of CD based ruins, and I'm looking to clear a little space on my shelves. This is good news for you, because I'm going to give one of them away!
What do you need to do to win this fabulous piece of terrain? There are 3 simple steps:
1. Follow my blog. If you're one of the 134 people that already does so, you're ahead of the game!
2. Write up an encounter that would take place around the ruin.
3. Post the encounter to your blog (if you have one) with a link to your post as a comment here, or (if you don't have a blog) just post it as a comment!
All entries must be received by 11:59 PM Eastern on Saturday 12/10. A discriminating panel of judges will pick the winner on Sunday.
US entries only, unless you're willing to pay shipping.
 |
| This could be yours! |
What do you need to do to win this fabulous piece of terrain? There are 3 simple steps:
1. Follow my blog. If you're one of the 134 people that already does so, you're ahead of the game!
2. Write up an encounter that would take place around the ruin.
3. Post the encounter to your blog (if you have one) with a link to your post as a comment here, or (if you don't have a blog) just post it as a comment!
All entries must be received by 11:59 PM Eastern on Saturday 12/10. A discriminating panel of judges will pick the winner on Sunday.
 |
| discriminating panel of judges is waiting to be impressed |
US entries only, unless you're willing to pay shipping.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Some assembly required
The walls are done, the corners are done, and now it’s time to bring it all together. As per the instructions, this is only a partial assembly. In order to fully paint it, I’ll be assembling the tower into 2 halves. The first half is easier, as it’s the half that will be attached to the base and ceiling. Attaching it to the base was easy. Attaching the ceiling took some ingenuity. I eventually built a lego tower to help support it while the glue dried.
The other half is freestanding. I used my lego corner to provide the 90 degree angle, and a box of tissues to keep it upright.
While that was drying I built an additional floor section. I just can’t seem to leave things alone... This section was for under where the bell would be. I don’t actually have a bell to install, nor am I putting any minis in the tower, but if I was, they would have somewhere to stand! Here you can see the now slightly shorter lego support structure.
The other half is freestanding. I used my lego corner to provide the 90 degree angle, and a box of tissues to keep it upright.
While that was drying I built an additional floor section. I just can’t seem to leave things alone... This section was for under where the bell would be. I don’t actually have a bell to install, nor am I putting any minis in the tower, but if I was, they would have somewhere to stand! Here you can see the now slightly shorter lego support structure.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Thunderspire Session 4 Part 1
This session was played on 11/12.
Cory ran:
Dietrich the Human Knight (formerly the Dragonborn Paladin)
Ander the Halfling Rogue
Alex ran:
Barakas the Tiefling Warlord
Chan Lee the Human Monk
"I know where the gnolls are!" Rendil Halfmoon cried out, “come on!”
The adventurers battered and bruised opted to rest first. Rendil seemed upset about this, but agreed to take them to the gnoll’s lair in the morning.
Following the little exuberant halfling the party descended deep into the labyrinth. Reaching a great chasm spanned by another fortress with it’s drawbridges down. The area leading upto the drawbridge was littered with siege equipment, and the fortress seemed to be in a partly ruined state. Who was the winner was anyone's guess. “We have to cross that to get to the Well of Demons. The keep’s pretty busted up, but the bridges seemed pretty stable.” Rendil said as he started across.
As the party neared the keep’s gate on the far side of the drawbridge a rumbling noise caught their attention. Turning around they saw a large force of gnolls emerging from a side passage, with some running hyena’s leading the army. This was followed almost immediately by a roar from the chasm below. At the same moment Rendil’s face began to melt and his body began to stretch. In Rendil’s place stood a lanky greyskinned creature that smiled evilly before dashing toward the onrushing hyenas and gnolls.
The adventurers rushed into the keep’s courtyard and began to draw up the bridge using the winch just inside the gate. A mere breath after getting the bridge raised, something slammed into it - Hard! A great black claw squeezed between the bridge and the gate, and started pulling. The adventurers struggled but the bridge inexorably began to drop. Facing a losing battle the adventurers looked around. A large and stout keep door blocked the way out of the court yard, but a bell tower, next to the keep, offered a way out of the courtyard at least. A couple of hyenas made the leap when the bridge was low enough, forcing the adventurers to release the winch and make a run for the nearby bell tower.
Rushing up the stairs, the adventurers reached the top just ahead of the hyenas. As the rest of the party leapt from the tower to the keep’s roof, the tower rumbled, and stones pressed inward as whatever had opened the gate had started to climb the tower. Dietrich cut the rope that suspended the large iron bell, causing it to crash down not only onto the stairs, but also onto the hyenas and gnolls that were following them.
Leaping onto the roof of the keep the adventures viewed the creature that had forced open the drawbridge and swayed the tower - the shadow dragon. It took not even a round for the entire party to jump down through hole in the roof. From the sound if it, the dragon was right behind them! Rushing down the stairs, and onto the main level of the keep the adventurers tossed everything they could between them and their pursuers, even going so far as to set a fire in the store room. The gnolls were smashing through the main doors, while the dragon was coming through the ceiling. Running through the keep the adventurers stumbled on the keeps kitchen, and noticed the cook book on the floor under the large oven. Dietrich grabbed it, just as the dragon started reaching from the great hall into the kitchen. Luckily, he couldn’t fit through the door! Back tracking, the adventurers arrived at the rear courtyard, and sprinted across the drawbridge.
From the far end of the chasm the adventurers could see a fire burning within the keep, and some gnolls in the courtyard organizing themselves (or at least making sure that there were enough of them to take the adventurers). The sound of the dragon smashing through stonework to escape the confines of the castle were also clearly audible from the distant ledge. Dietrich, in a moment of desperation flipped open the cookbook, and found a note about the explosives stashed by the cook around the keep. Conveniently the trigger was hidden just under the drawbridge on the adventurers side of the chasm. In a mad dash all 4 began searching for the trigger. Ander found it, and without a thought set it off.
The explosion was intense, knocking the adventurers back and the keep down into the chasm - gnolls and all!
Cory ran:
Dietrich the Human Knight (formerly the Dragonborn Paladin)
Ander the Halfling Rogue
Alex ran:
Barakas the Tiefling Warlord
Chan Lee the Human Monk
"I know where the gnolls are!" Rendil Halfmoon cried out, “come on!”
The adventurers battered and bruised opted to rest first. Rendil seemed upset about this, but agreed to take them to the gnoll’s lair in the morning.
Following the little exuberant halfling the party descended deep into the labyrinth. Reaching a great chasm spanned by another fortress with it’s drawbridges down. The area leading upto the drawbridge was littered with siege equipment, and the fortress seemed to be in a partly ruined state. Who was the winner was anyone's guess. “We have to cross that to get to the Well of Demons. The keep’s pretty busted up, but the bridges seemed pretty stable.” Rendil said as he started across.
As the party neared the keep’s gate on the far side of the drawbridge a rumbling noise caught their attention. Turning around they saw a large force of gnolls emerging from a side passage, with some running hyena’s leading the army. This was followed almost immediately by a roar from the chasm below. At the same moment Rendil’s face began to melt and his body began to stretch. In Rendil’s place stood a lanky greyskinned creature that smiled evilly before dashing toward the onrushing hyenas and gnolls.
The adventurers rushed into the keep’s courtyard and began to draw up the bridge using the winch just inside the gate. A mere breath after getting the bridge raised, something slammed into it - Hard! A great black claw squeezed between the bridge and the gate, and started pulling. The adventurers struggled but the bridge inexorably began to drop. Facing a losing battle the adventurers looked around. A large and stout keep door blocked the way out of the court yard, but a bell tower, next to the keep, offered a way out of the courtyard at least. A couple of hyenas made the leap when the bridge was low enough, forcing the adventurers to release the winch and make a run for the nearby bell tower.
Rushing up the stairs, the adventurers reached the top just ahead of the hyenas. As the rest of the party leapt from the tower to the keep’s roof, the tower rumbled, and stones pressed inward as whatever had opened the gate had started to climb the tower. Dietrich cut the rope that suspended the large iron bell, causing it to crash down not only onto the stairs, but also onto the hyenas and gnolls that were following them.
Leaping onto the roof of the keep the adventures viewed the creature that had forced open the drawbridge and swayed the tower - the shadow dragon. It took not even a round for the entire party to jump down through hole in the roof. From the sound if it, the dragon was right behind them! Rushing down the stairs, and onto the main level of the keep the adventurers tossed everything they could between them and their pursuers, even going so far as to set a fire in the store room. The gnolls were smashing through the main doors, while the dragon was coming through the ceiling. Running through the keep the adventurers stumbled on the keeps kitchen, and noticed the cook book on the floor under the large oven. Dietrich grabbed it, just as the dragon started reaching from the great hall into the kitchen. Luckily, he couldn’t fit through the door! Back tracking, the adventurers arrived at the rear courtyard, and sprinted across the drawbridge.
From the far end of the chasm the adventurers could see a fire burning within the keep, and some gnolls in the courtyard organizing themselves (or at least making sure that there were enough of them to take the adventurers). The sound of the dragon smashing through stonework to escape the confines of the castle were also clearly audible from the distant ledge. Dietrich, in a moment of desperation flipped open the cookbook, and found a note about the explosives stashed by the cook around the keep. Conveniently the trigger was hidden just under the drawbridge on the adventurers side of the chasm. In a mad dash all 4 began searching for the trigger. Ander found it, and without a thought set it off.
The explosion was intense, knocking the adventurers back and the keep down into the chasm - gnolls and all!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
On Dragons
The game is called Dungeons and Dragons, right?
The reality is that I’ve run lots of dungeons, and I include very few dragons...
Maybe it’s because I refuse to run dragons as anything but intelligent beings of immense power. Sure, there are rules for little dragons, and on a rare occasion I’ll toss one towards my players, but for the most part, a dragon in my games tends to be a force of nature, not a combat encounter. As such, I tend to hold them back.
I’m thinking that’s a mistake.
In reading other DM’s play reports where the players regularly encounter dragons out in the wilderness (often just a flyby, rather than a combat encounter) it seems that the players don’t just come to think of them as big goblins - aka bags of XP. They still inspire awe and worry, tinged by greed.
In my 4e game, my players have finally encountered a dragon, and they kicked it’s ass! They were psyched! Had it not been a part of the adventure, if I had written the adventure they’re running through, there wouldn’t have been that encounter.
In the back of the 4e DMG there is a kobold lair adventure that wraps up with a white dragon - an adventure for 1st level characters! It’s an adventure that gives exactly what the game says it gives - Dungeons and Dragons. Maybe that’s the right approach?
Now, I don’t want to go crazy and have dragons every other encounter. I still want them rare enough that players don’t just charge right in every time. I want them to pause before even thinking about picking up their dice. However... I think I do want to see more dragons in my game. And more importantly, I think my players want to see more dragons in the game.
How this will work in the megadungeon, I have no idea, and it’s something I need to think about, but the giant chasm certainly allows for at least one dragon, maybe more...
The reality is that I’ve run lots of dungeons, and I include very few dragons...
Maybe it’s because I refuse to run dragons as anything but intelligent beings of immense power. Sure, there are rules for little dragons, and on a rare occasion I’ll toss one towards my players, but for the most part, a dragon in my games tends to be a force of nature, not a combat encounter. As such, I tend to hold them back.
I’m thinking that’s a mistake.
In reading other DM’s play reports where the players regularly encounter dragons out in the wilderness (often just a flyby, rather than a combat encounter) it seems that the players don’t just come to think of them as big goblins - aka bags of XP. They still inspire awe and worry, tinged by greed.
In my 4e game, my players have finally encountered a dragon, and they kicked it’s ass! They were psyched! Had it not been a part of the adventure, if I had written the adventure they’re running through, there wouldn’t have been that encounter.
In the back of the 4e DMG there is a kobold lair adventure that wraps up with a white dragon - an adventure for 1st level characters! It’s an adventure that gives exactly what the game says it gives - Dungeons and Dragons. Maybe that’s the right approach?
Now, I don’t want to go crazy and have dragons every other encounter. I still want them rare enough that players don’t just charge right in every time. I want them to pause before even thinking about picking up their dice. However... I think I do want to see more dragons in my game. And more importantly, I think my players want to see more dragons in the game.
How this will work in the megadungeon, I have no idea, and it’s something I need to think about, but the giant chasm certainly allows for at least one dragon, maybe more...
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