27 March 2013

GoblinAid update

Our move from rented into our first owned house continues apace so I am busybusybusy keeping on top of all that, managing builders and decorators etc and working to the planned moving date of next Tuesday! Cue nervous, manic laughter....

So, with all my geeking stuff in boxes, and likely to remain in boxes for the next few weeks while we get ourselves sorted, I thought I'd give an update on Kev Adams and the GoblinAid project. The latest report on his health is that it is improving and he'll be having an operation in the next few days to rebuild his cheek bone. A mate of mine at work had the same thing a couple of years back after a studding incident at the bottom of a ruck in a rugby game and he's absolutely fine now, so I am hopeful Kev will fare the same.

While he's mending (which we all hope will be a speedy and complete process), here are some examples of his work from recent times. Greenskins all, as seems appropriate given his Goblinmaster nickname....

Aquatic-themed goblins from Four A Miniatures

Painted by Paul Sanderson

More traditional gobbos now available from Crooked Claw Miniatures

Unknown painter - sorry!
This range is expanding all the time, made up from the old Nemesis range of goblins, as well as more recent figures: archers, an onager and a chariot, with the promise of cavalry still to come. I hope the cavalry will be mounted on the wolves pulling that chariot!





Those nice people over at Renegade Miniatures are also going to be releasing some Kev Adams sculpted orcs as part of the GoblinAid fundraiser. I've been after these since I first saw them a while back




Now, when you've been sculpting as long as Kev has, you build up quite a catalogue. These are just a few of the more recent ones, but do you have a favourite not given above? Do share!

Happy geeking,
Rab

22 March 2013

Goblin Aid

Some of you may already know that Kev "goblin master" Adams, sculptor of some of the most characterful greenskins ever to ravage a tabletop and all round nice chap (according to anyone who has met him or dealt with him directly; I haven't, sadly), was rather savagely attacked by burglars who broke into his home on the afternoon of the 20th. According to reports, he was stabbed and struck with a knuckleduster, and will require a plate in his cheek to mend it. Fortunately for him and his family he is now out of hospital, fortunately for us lead-fiends his eyes and hands were undamaged so he should be sculpting again fairly soon.

In order to show appreciation for, and sympathy towards, a man who has given so many gamers so much pleasure for so many years, There Is A Plan - Goblin Aid. Several top sculptors have agreed to sculpt a little goblin and the funds from the sale will go to Kev and family. More details can be found on this facebook page.

Geek well, geek safely,

Rab

17 March 2013

Mistrelry of the highest order

In the real world I'm moving house in a week, writing reports for four classes of year 11 students, and the vomiting bug has struck down mini-Rab #1, so my time for the fun stuff is rather limited to say the least!

Fortunately for Goblinquest, two geek-dads in particular have been doing stirling work as Minstrels in guiding their offspring through dark places to succeed in dangerous quests. Step forward Erny and Thantsants - is it a coincidence that they are both enthusiastic Oldhammerers?

Ayway, links to their game reports:

Erny's report

Teaser picture of Erny's game



Thantsant's report

Teaser picture from Thantsant's blog

I hope you are all enjoying your gaming, geeking and parenting as much as those fine two dads!

Rab



7 March 2013

Initial Goblinquest feedback

First off, hello to all the new readers of this blog; thaaaasands of 'em! And thank you to those of you who've mentioned Gobinquest on your own blogs, LAF, TMP, Google+, Facebook... I've had emails and even an invitation to be involved in a podcast. It's a giddy existence, this game-writing lark...

I've had some really useful feedback from a couple of folk already (thanks Erny and Bart), which led to some interesting discussion on LAF about the wisdom (or otherwise) of player-character death in a game that is meant, at least in part, to be a way of geek-parents to introduce their offspring into gaming at a young age. I'm going to have to ponder that one quite carefully. On the one hand, it's been really useful for my lad to learn to treat the two imposters of triumph and disaster just the same, on the other I don't really want to cause any 'Platoon moments', as it was put by Erny:

"Nooooo! I don't want my character to die!"
So, a quandary. On suggestion (thanks, Scurv!) was that defeated knights would be captured and have to be rescued. Another (quick thinking, Erny!) was that on successful completion of the quest, "dead" knights could be taken off to the healers and brought back to health and further questing.

I've got a longer list of mechanics questions to consider (although fixed movement distances to speed up the game has been mentioned by everyone who has given feedback, so that looks like a given), especially around character progression (I'm giving it some proper thought, Bart), but that's going to take longer, and this weekend I shall be mainly hitting people with swords at Leeds Armoury for this year's SWASH


Thanks for all your feedback so far, and I look forward to hearing from anyone else who gives it a go.

Happy geeking,
Rab

3 March 2013

Draft quest for Goblinquest

Ok, when I said "this weekend" I had hoped to have this ready for anyone interested so you'd be able to actually use it "this weekend", so I've met the letter, if not the spirit, of my promise.

Check out the old-school blue grid!

Mild grovelling to one side, here's a sample quest similar to the sort I've been playing with my son using Goblinquest. I've kept it really simple, but feel free to make it more complex/interesting by locking doors, giving some of the goblins bows, etc. I hope you enjoy it!

The tile shapes are based on the really very marvellous printable pdf from the marvellous Billiam Babble.

Download link: Sample Quest

Happy geeking,
Rab