A Town Called Panic Vs. Moon

* = I feel like this every time we Podcast, that's why I scream it.  I guess that makes me the 'Careers In Evil Podcast' version of CM Punk.  Which would mean David is my Paul Heyman.  So David you are officially the 'Voice of the Voice of the Voiceless'.  This might explain a lot of our relationship....

I tried to think of something important to write about today, but when things are going reasonably well I tend to have very little to ramble on and on about. So instead let me give unto thee…

RANDOM CRAP!

- Paizo and Wizkids are already ramping up for their next Adventure Path based miniatures set coming out this summer. They’ve decided to go with Skull & Shackles, which with its ‘Piratey’ theme is good for me and my 2nd D&D Group. So let’s take a look at the first wave of previews shall we;

First up are two looks at the Buy It By The Brick gargantuan Dracolich, Brinebones. I have to say I really dig the sculpt, even at this stage. The spread wings and gaping maw are a drastic departure from the two DDM Dracoliches we’ve gotten from DDM in the past. I like the standing on two legs pose; it has real action and menace in it. The other pre-painted Dracoliches aren’t bad, but they just don’t have the ‘pop’ this one does. I’m really excited to see what it looks like when it’s painted. I think the other thing to take into account is the scale of this beast. Looking at this picture you get an example of its size.

The small painted miniature is a Medium sized elf, the Large miniature, oxymoron I know, is the MASSIVE Troll Champion. And while I think that this comparison shows just how odd the size is for that particular troll, I think it also shows the size that this piece has going for it. Perhaps it’s just the wingspan, but the Dracolich looks incredible next even to these two pieces. The only reason this is not a ‘must buy’ for me is the Reaper Bones Kickstarter, which should arrive this month. In that Kickstarter I purchased two GIGANTIC Dracoliches, both of which I think will be at least Brinebones’ size if not far larger. So for me this one is going to have to be a ‘PASS’.

Second up is the Sea Troll, or as most of us D&D veterans would like to see it referred to as The Scrag. I’m not sure what I think about this miniature. In the preview Erick Mona, Pathfinder Guru, stated that this troll will be more in line size wise with the previous trolls and not the Troll Champion, which I’m good with. However the actual build of the Pathfinder trolls just doesn’t do a lot for me, the exception being my beloved Troll Champion. The gangly, pot-bellied, long neck look just sort of feels goofy. This miniature’s paint job I do dig, but again the sculpt looks off and static. Not to mention the double wielding of hatchets with no real motion in the sculpt just isn’t that impressive to me. This miniature is most likely a ‘PASS’ for me.

Last up in this set of previews is the Pirate. First off, I have to say that I dig that the Pathfinder has had a diversity of ethnicity to that most ranges sorely lack. Secondly, I know I just complained about static sculpts, but here it works. This miniature would perfectly either as a NPC or as a group of deck hands getting ready to mutiny. It has a versatility to that I really dig. I wish we had a bit better picture to get more of a gander at the paintjob here, but I do dig what I can see. The muted colors, but colors nonetheless, go perfectly with the sculpt. I am very excited for these types of miniatures to finally be showing up in a pre-painted range, so for me this is a ‘MUST BUY’! Let me point out that this is going to go perfectly with the Dungeon Crawl Miniatures Kickstarter that gets going on 3/18/13, hopefully it doesn’t have too much of an overlap, but I’ll talk more about that momentarily.
- We grilled Sunday and it was GLORIOUS!
- Last Saturday night Cassandra and I went with our friend Mick to the M.I.W. show in Chanhassen. For those that don’t know M.I.W. is Minnesota Independent Wrestling. We went to watch a Friend of Mick’s, and a guy we’d board gamed with, named Peter, ply his trade.

If you read this blog then you know I’m a slightly closeted wrestling fan. I love Japanese Wrestling, I adore CHIKARA, and I think very highly of certain individuals in the more mainstream wrestling in the U.S. I had not been to an Independent show in some time, so when the opportunity to go came up I convinced Cassandra it would be fun and away we went. You know what? It was fun. It was SUPER fun. The match quality was good, very good in some spots, the crowd was loud and into it, we sat right up ringside, and booed and laughed with gusto. Peter, who wrestles as P.J. 'Petey' Thorn, had a good match against a guy with an AMAZING moustache'!  However it was a ‘non-ending’ as he and his opponent were destroyed by a heel team before a winner could be declared. I’m not sure how to describe what this was like, but I will say that we are going again, schedule permitting, in April, and if you want to go with let me know. Everyone should give it a shot, because it really was a blast.  Oh and by the by Peter is a kick ass guy, who has a Slaad and Dragon Turtle tattoo.  Yeah, you read that right.
- I’m really hungry for banana bread again.
- As I mentioned earlier Dungeon Crawl Miniatures is getting ready to re-start their Kickstarter, again. They have the Kraken, and the Giant Skeleton, but they’ve added to that the last seven days with two new previews.

First up is the Peryton! This is a strange and fantastic monster that has NEVER been represented in the pre-painted world before. If the production art is any indicator I’m digging where they are going with this. The darker base colors flaring out into more diverse, brighter colors in the wing tips that looks wonderful. I don’t know much about this monster, but the artwork of it, and the visual itself, is so crazy that I’ve always wanted to find a way to work it into a campaign, now I have to.

The sculpt prototype looks like a perfect representation of the artwork. It’s a predatory stance with an impressive wingspan. I think it’s a Medium sized monster, so roughly man-sized, and would be perfect for wilderness encounters or possibly on a mountain pass. Heck, it would work as a flock of Perytons being raised by a local Lord and used as bizarre hunting birds, perhaps by someone with Giant-blood in their family tree. Something I’ll have to think on.  Overall, I just think the beast just has a wonderful  and iconic look.  Those horns, the toothy maw, those bizarre claws, and the just the general feel of the monster illicits a bevy of ideas about how to push it into any campaign.  That's a testiment not just to the original monster, but also to the design work of D.C.M.

Next up is the preview for the Mermaid. This is just the artwork that we’ve seen for the last two Kickstarter attempts, so it’s nothing new. I think though with my current 2nd D&D Group’s ‘theme’ of the campaign and the new Skull & Shackles Pathfinder set on the horizon this bad mama jamma fits in perfectly. Again, it is also another beastie that we’ve never seen in pre-painted form. If the finished miniature can capture the look and feel of the artwork I think it’ll be a resounding success. I really like both the green and the blue models for color, but I think I’d have to give the overall nod to the green, perhaps it’s just my ‘gingerness’ talking.

The last preview was Botanimoth! I haven’t seen any preview art of this monstrosity, but damn I love that sculpt. I haven’t used enough man-eating plants in my games, but again this one is all sorts of inspiring. Perhaps as the favored pet of a Lamia in the Feywild who feeds her former lovers to this insatiable beast? I think one of the groups is going to spend some time dealing with the Feywild and the unknowable logic of the Fey Courts. I haven’t chosen which yet. Anywho, these previews make me more confident than ever that this Kickstarter will be a massive success, and even happier that I have chosen to again back them.
- I think I need a hug today.
- The other day my copy of the Sentinels Of The Multiverse Kickstarter arrived!

Holy crap does this game look fantastic. I like the old school feel of the game and the art. I also dig the idea of being able to play single player. I really want to play this with Cassandra and am going to try to do so this week. I hope it lives up to the hype that I’ve built around it. It would be amazing to have a great superhero game to play.
- I’m almost done with the ‘Worldwound Gambit’, it’s a damn fine caper novel in a fantasy world.
- For those that care we are doing a Podcast this week. I believe it’ll be Thursday. We’ll have David’s new housemate and D&D stalwart Cordell on. I’m not sure if we’re still doing the Dewey-centric format or if we are scrapping that, but either way I think it’ll be a good one with all the crap that we’ve all got going on including but not limited to; selling ALL my Heroclix on Ebay, Dave’s dating life, Cordell moving in, Percy Harvin getting traded, Dave being forced to fill out a bracket for March Madness, etc. I think we have plenty of yammering material.

I think I’m done today…

“I will never have the courage of others
I will not approach you at all
I was always taught to worry about things
All the many things you can't control

How can they have the courage
Of lords that have long since past
It's in their hands, it's in their heads
It's been in their blood for many years
It brings them sorrow
In a dark room he trembles alone
He trembles alone”

    * = Cassandra I'm lookin' at you here...