A website dedicate to games of all favors and varieties, from video games to good old D&D.
Wednesday, March 24, 2021
Teaser Art - Working with Pros.
Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Gaming Garden - Phase One Complete.
I busted up a four foot by eight foot section of grass with a shovel, laid down some compost I had from several years of yard clippings. Then the grass went back on top, upside down.
In a week or so, phase two will start up. More layers to the raised bed: soil and mulch. Then I have a month or so of rest before the plants go in. It's like planning a D&D campaign.
Don't let anyone tell you need power tools for this sort of job. Just go get the power tools from the start and save your hands. I regret using hand tools for the whole project. Everything hurts.
But if it makes a nice backdrop for summer gaming in the backyard, it will be worth it. Last year, we spend a lot of time outside and 2021 is looking to be a rebuilding year. No family vacation this year.
Sunday, March 21, 2021
Jendart - The Not Review
I've mention how many times I've been sucked into a document because of the artwork. Simon Miles, Todd Leback, and now jendart.
Screencap of the artist on Jendart.com |
It's the floating angles and the capture of the hex crawl ideal. The first product I saw was Hexcrawl Basics. I just love that this image is a map and landscape from the air. It's not avant garde or experimental or any other fancy thing, it's simply perfect for the book title. Everything you would wonder about "Hexcrawl Basics" is summarized in the image. Click the link to check it out on DriveThruRPG. There are interesting locals like the focal point keep and the walled town, plain areas and the sky above it all, with no edge to world as everything fades at the horizon.
That is pretty much "Hexcrawl Basics" in a nutshell.
The next title is "Filling in the Blanks" and I am sure you can see why I mentioning this one. I'm going to do a review and I want to get my admiration of the cover out of my brain before diving into this book.This image I like for a completely different reason. It reminds me of the comic book artist, Pablo Raimondi. Back in the 1990s, he had a quick, savage style which he lent to the covers of X-Factor. He went for impossible angles and clear cut actions.
Jendart's handling of the image captures nearly everything from the Hexcrawl Basics title while also embracing whimsy. I love the viewing angle above the characters in the foreground. While it isn't a one for one match with Pablo Raimondi's cover art, I can see that sort of see the "capture the moment" aspect in it. Even though we can't see the heroes' faces, there is a clear sense of wonder in their poses.
EDIT 2: I have been misspelling the name of the Jendart website in maybe 3-5 posts. I am so sorry and embarrassed. Because of the way blogger works, this mistake shall ever be memorized in the links which cannot be changed. Ugh.
Saturday, March 20, 2021
Updates - Some setbacks, some success.
I suffered a few setbacks this week and more than a few successes.
The battery for our camera failed. That's the setback and it'll be ok. They are available as a two pack rather cheaply. Once they arrive on Monday, I'll be all set to start work on my Star Wars model series.
The other setback is rather minor. My work schedule is all screwed up next week due to new training. It'll be rough for a few weeks but I'll survive.
As far as successes, my seedlings are going well. 13 of 18 plants are thriving. I'm not sure what is up with the remaining 5. They seem to show signs of life, but no green sprouts yet. We'll see what's happening as time goes on. I have the next batch of seeds ready to go, I just need to clear a shelf for them. They seem to be thriving under the lights in the basement. It's cool and brightly lit. I hope to have zucchini, cucumbers, peppers and carrots. Everything I need for canning in the late summer.Yes, I really do canning. Mostly pickles and giardiniera.
Another success was a brief Wednesday night gaming session. My family and I were able to play a couple of games of Exploding Kittens and discussed the next game session for next Tuesday. This is exactly what I wanted, a weekly family game night. This is why I am creating a gaming garden outside.