In Nightscape: Red Terrors you play an Operative of Integrand General — an extra-governmental non-profit established to research the arcane sciences — fighting your way through the PERM 37 facility. You will be opposed by the horrific forces at the disposal of the Director. Modern weapons have little power against the most powerful horrors you’ll face… 6f1c65
Sheesh guys, it’s actually here! This book has been years in the making, and I think that our care and attention to detail shows. Nightscape: Red Terrors is an “all in one” game that includes a mission and modular map, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use it to tell your own stories of cosmic horror.
Nightscape: Red Terrors was my first real chance to play with someone else’s toys. The Nightscape universe is massive, including novels, novellas, comics, soundtracks, and even a movie. You can and should check out their website, at Nightscapeseries.com. If you’re a fan of pulp cosmic horror, you won’t be disappointed.
In the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russian government decommissioned several publicly hidden research facilities devoted to ‘arcane science,’ chief among them, PERM Laboratory 37. Recently, due to several strange energy emissions, the location of the PERM 37 facility has been discovered by various parties with an interest in the lab’s inventory of eldritch artifacts.
You’re an agent of one of these factions on your way through driving sleet to the facility. Dusk is falling as you through the broken security gate…
Nightscape: Red Terrors uses a D20, and all the rules you need to play are included in the book. You can find it through the following vendors:
It’s Mini Monday, where I share customizing, scratch building, kitbashing, and miniature painting projects for your roleplaying and tabletop gaming. This week we’ll look at a great little trick for getting your army painted.
The easiest part of this wonderful hobby is buying the miniatures. You can get loads of wonderful models, some at amazing prices, for just about anything. I don’t know about you, but the hard part for me is getting them all painted. I still have a good whack of metal and plastic from my high school days that are still a pristine gray. That, my friendly Internet blog reader person, is where this blog comes in, and today I’m going to share my little secret that’s winning the war on bland gray.
An MVP Army 4h6r2b
MVP stands for Minimum Viable Painting. I swear it does. No need to look it up.
By MVP I mean the fewest number of miniatures you need to paint in order to play a game where all the models are painted. In an RPG, this might be four characters and the monsters for an evening’s worth of encounters. In Warhammer 40,000, this might be a small combat patrol including a squad and your warlord.
I’ve been collecting miniatures for Warhammer 40,000 for years, but recently I’ve been working hard to put together three armies, so I can have friends over to play (when lockdown ends). I’ll show you what I mean with these three races. For Orks, I can put together 10 Boyz with a Nob, plus a Weirdboy warlord, for 163 points. My Genestealer Cults army consists of a Magus and 12 Neophyte Hybrids, for 162 points. Lastly, my Angels Encarmine Space Marines include a Tactical Squad and a Captain, all for 163 points.
The total number of miniatures I’d need to paint if they were all fresh out of the box is 12 Orks, 13 Gene Cultists, and 6 Space Marines. That’s only 31 models.
Start Small 1a391o
The point is that it’s easy to go out and buy a 2,000 point army, but much better to start with a small one and add to it as you go. This lets you learn your army as you go, is much easier on the wallet, and means you’ll never be demotivated by a mountain of gray.
This is one of the many strengths of the Games Workshop 9th edition starter sets. You get everything you need to play, and it’s the perfect seed for a bigger painted army.
Also, starting small and painting an MVP helps stave off buyer’s remorse.
Don’t Forget RPGs and Board Games 2q142m
This principle works well for painting up board games and RPG minis.
If you’re a GM, you usually know what the players will face, so you can paint what you need for your next session.
In the case of board games, you can sometimes exclude unpainted minis, or you can focus on the minis that will see the most play. I’ve got a stack of cards for my Dungeons & Dragon Adventure Board Game collection that includes only painted (and pre-painted) minis, so whenever I play the models are all painted. As a bonus, whenever I finish up new models their cards get added to the game; it feels like a treat.
How about you? Do you have any painting tips to help us get through the gray and bring a painted army to the table? Let us know in the comments.
It’s Mini Monday, where I share customizing, scratch building, kitbashing, and miniature painting projects for your roleplaying and tabletop gaming.This week we’ll build a modular tavern storefront, because every adventure starts in the pub.
Modular Tavern Storefront 3z1nx
“You meet in the tavern…”
That line has probably started more roleplaying campaigns than any other, as cliched as it is. Having some tavern terrain is going to get a lot of use in fantasy tabletop games, so let’s build one. We’ll make it modular to get as much use out of this piece as possible, and we’ll use the magic of magnets!
The module tavern storefront without its sign.
With the power of magnets, the shop sign is attached. The Pewter Tankard is an obscure Warhammer FRP 1st ed. reference, and is the name of the establishment in our Pewter Tankard Tavern Map.
We make books, so we need a book shop, even if it’s only a mini one. More magnets and a quick switch are all that’s needed.
Overview 2c6zz
We’re making a sandwich, with the door and window in the middle, then the walls, then the wooden beams. This will give the model depth, but allow us to keep things thin enough to game around.
I’m sorry that I don’t have any pictures of the process of making this. I did take a few, but they’ve been lost in the general chaos of my Pictures folder. If I do find any I’ll update this post, but I’ll do my best to describe what’s going on.
The Frame and Door r5j6b
Cut two pieces of card into rectangles. Mine is 4″ long and 2.5″ high, enough space to incorporate the door and window. Cut a space for the door and window in both pieces of card so you’ve got two copies.
Cut a rectangle of balsa wood to make the door. This should be wider than the space you’ve cut in the cardboard.
Cut lengths of balsa wood to form the outer wooden frame, for both sides of the model. Keep any offcuts for later.
Ramblings on Balsa Wood 4i1o2f
A lot of people use popsicle sticks or coffee stirrers for wooden features, but balsa wood is much easier to work with, lighter, and a strip of it will get you through many projects. They build remote control airplanes out of the stuff, it can take a real banging. Believe me, I’ve crashed my glider more often than I’ve flown it.
Detailing 3s5g6n
Use the back of a hobby knife to lightly gouge along the grain of the balsa wood. You can press harder to define planks, so the door is one solid piece that looks like it’s made of individual planks. This cheating saves time and glue, and keeps the model stronger.
Window 3g196l
The window is made of stiff plastic, like the type you find in toy packaging. Cut a piece of this that is larger than the space it’ll fill. Use a ruler and a permanent marker to draw the black lines to represent the lead frame on one side of the plastic. Then, use a yellow highlighter to carefully color between the lines and color the opposite side too. Let this dry, and that the highlighter will rub off easily. Finally, carefully stipple gloss varnish over one side, leaving it to dry before doing the other. This should cause the yellow to pool and will texture the glass.
Assembling 513x9
Glue the door onto one piece of card. Then, using cutoffs, line the outer side of the card (the same side that has the door) and around the window. Fill all the gaps so you won’t see any when the second piece of card is ed.
Next, glue the outer wooden frame onto the walls.
Pro Tip: Don’t stick the second piece of card or the window on yet. Work with the two pieces until you’ve finished painting them, then glue the window in and the walls. This way, you won’t have to worry about getting paint on the window.
The Magic of Magnets zg45
Glue a strip of metal above the window. We’ll hide this later, and then use magnets on the signs to stick them onto the wall.
Texturing 6r6k6x
Mix up a small amount of wall grout and paint it onto the walls, between the wooden s. Be sure to paint it over the metal strip.
Base 5b2d30
Use strips of cardboard to make the slate stones of the base. As long as your wall isn’t top-heavy, the base can be quite narrow, making it easier for gaming around.
Painting 5131g
If you haven’t glued the two sides together or stuck the window in, this part will be easy enough.
Paint the walls an off white, then use a slightly darker version of the same color to paint the top of each wall section, drawing the brush down to make it look like weather damage.
Paint the wood black, making sure to fill in all the gaps. Paint over this brown, without filling the gaps. Holding the brush flat against the wood will help with this. Drybrush with a lighter brown over the edges of each beam.
Paint the stone gray, then drybrush with a lighter gray, picking out the edges again.
Use a small picture frame eye screw to make a door knocker. Stick a “U” shaped loop of paperclip over this to complete the look.
Finally, paint everything with a matt varnish, except for the window, then glue it all together. Done!
In the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russian government decommissioned several publicly hidden research facilities devoted to ‘arcane science,’ chief among them, PERM Laboratory 37. Recently, due to several strange energy emissions, the location of the PERM 37 facility has been discovered by various parties with an interest in the lab’s inventory of eldritch artifacts.
You’re an agent of one of these factions on your way through driving sleet to the facility. Dusk is falling as you through the broken security gate…
“The line between magic and science disappeared in the utopianism of the early Soviet period. Hopes formerly invested in religion and magic were transferred to technology and science. Stalinist political culture utilized ideas taken from the occult elements in its attempt to influence the masses.”
— B.G. Rosenthal
In Nightscape: Red Terrors you play an agent of Integrand General — an extra-governmental non-profit established to research the arcane sciences — fighting your way through the PERM 37 facility. You will be opposed by the horrific forces at the disposal of the Director. Modern weapons have little power against the most powerful horrors you’ll face, but a host of creatures do bleed. Arm yourself well and expect the unexpected.
Nightscape: Red Terrors includes everything you need to play, except for a few 20-sided dice and a group of friends.
One of the things I absolutely love about game design is that I’m learning all the time. In this article, I’m going to talk a little about what ‘baby steps’ really mean and how you can go about learning new game dev skills — or anything else — to become a better game designer, GM, or whatever.
Write – Design – ProgramWrite
Think about it; what do ‘baby steps’ actually mean? First of all, they’re small and slow. Baby’s don’t take steps until they’ve first managed to the weight of their own head, roll around, push themselves up, crawl, and then pull themselves up and stand. That’s a whole lot of learning that’s happening in a brain that’s a giant information sponge — and we haven’t even taken a ‘baby step’ yet.
When babies start walking, they get everywhere, exploring the world around them and enjoying the new freedom afforded to them by their little legs. It’s fun, and the risk of falling doesn’t hold them back much.
If there’s a new skill you want to learn — and this doesn’t just apply to learning new game dev skills — then you need to be like a baby:
Have Fun 6l1qv
In a recent interview, with Kenny from Oh! Sheep, I talked about following your ion. ion certainly fuels motivation, but things can quickly start to look more like work than play when the lines between your job and hobby blur. You have to keep things fun, and that often comes down to finding the fun.
If you can’t find ways to keep things fun for yourself and you’re creating games, writing for entertainment, or trying to bring joy to others, then that’s something worth investigating for yourself. Ultimately, I think it comes down to a sense of play or having a puzzle to solve. A lot of the time work throws puzzles at you, and trying to crack them can be a lot of fun.
I once asked my dad why I’d never seen the train set he had as a boy laid out before. He told me that, as an engineer and property developer, he was doing that sort of thing every day, only on a much bigger scale. His job was full of puzzles, and there was a sense of play to his work. It has kept him motivated, even after suffering a debilitating stroke.
Compete with Yourself 24y3d
Unlike most of us, babies are never comparing themselves to other babies and putting themselves down for what they can’t do.
It seems even more difficult to avoid comparing ourselves these days, thanks to social media. When was the last time you came away from social media feeling good about yourself? If Twitter or Facebook left you feeling down or angry the last time you visited, what types of posts affected you and how did they make you feel, personally? Did you feel like you weren’t achieving enough? I often get that feeling when browsing social media.
The thing is to compete with yourself, not with the world. It’s far better to get better each day than to be like someone else, and it’s far less draining.
That’s the motivation mostly out of the way. Let’s get practical for a moment.
Breaking It Down into the Basics 103d4l
I picked up skateboarding again two months ago. I’m… not very good, but I see a lot of things more clearly now than I did when I was a kid, inspired by Rodney Mullen and Tony Hawk and trying to learn to ride for the first time.
For one thing, we’re incredibly lucky to have the Internet and sites like YouTube that make learning more accessible. That doesn’t mean that all of the content is good, accurate, or useful, but we can easily skim through basic information in a couple of minutes, assimilate and process it, then apply it.
Most YouTube videos (and posts like this one) tend to provide the surface information, and you have to dig deeper to gain true mastery. That’s true of many books too, but we have to be aware that we’re only scratching the surface.
As an example, something that doesn’t come up much in videos on skateboarding is how important it is to get the basics right. Yes, many videos talk about where to put your feet for a trick, but few people are talking about getting comfortable on your board, riding in different stances, riding backwards, getting comfortable turning, stopping, and generally mastering the basics. Nobody thinks these basics are cool. Maybe they’re just seen as the gateway to becoming a real skater. Even though these skills are fundamental to being able to skateboard and the best skateboarders have mastered these skills.
I recently read an article about a martial artist that spent lockdown practicing footwork, the “literal foundation” of martial arts. He listed three goals he had:
1. Be comfortable with either foot leading.
2. Be able to stop instantly without losing balance.
3. Maintain a good posture throughout his movement.
By focusing on these basics he was able to improve a vital element of his martial arts skill, train using his limited resources, and overcome bad habits.
Image Credit: Drew Beamer
In short, you have to look for the pillars of whatever skill you’re learning, then seek to master them.
In coding, this might be understanding the logic of if else statements and other general coding principles before trying to master the whole of Java.
In writing, knowing how to write good, grammatically sound sentences has made it far easier for me to deal with the complexities of storytelling and composing larger pieces.
When I first started skateboarding, I was pushing mongo, which is generally considered the worst way to push a skateboard around. It never felt comfortable and it caused all sorts of other issues. Since starting again, I’ve focused on the basics and seen much better growth. Skateboarding now feels like something that’s possible, rather than an impossible pipe dream.
Not saying I’ve cracked the code or anything, but it certainly seems there’s a lot of worth in having a good base to any skill you want to master.
#RPGCon is Wrapping Up 2mo42
Rising Phoenix Games’ #RPGCon has been a real blast, and we’ve loved sharing every minute of it with you. We’ve already begun discussing plans for next year, so hopefully #RPGCon will just grow and grow. Thank you all so much for your !
You can still find all the articles, interviews, and discounts on the #RPGCon Homepage. Many of the discounts are ending today and tomorrow, so this is your last chance to buy great supplements for Pathfinder 1e, D&D 5e, and some excellent stand-alone games.
Kim Frandsen has been working hard to create a great collection of hand drawn maps for your RPG projects and campaigns. We’ve already shown you a bunch of the Elite Design Elements maps, and today we’ll take a look at the newest ones.
If you’re new to Photoshop and layout, you might be looking for a few ideas to get more out of your Elite Design Elements hand drawn maps. Luckily, we made a video for that!
If you’d like to know how to do something specific with your maps, feel free to drop a comment below and I’ll do my best to help, either with a direct reply or with a follow-up video.
More Maps are Coming i6g1t
Got a request for a map? Type it out in the comments below and we’ll see what we can do. There are plenty more maps on the way too, so check the Elite Design Elements category on Drive Thru RPG often.
Elite Design Elements and You 6y433i
Elite Design Elements is a line of stock art, maps, and resources to help you create better RPG products and campaigns. Our stock art license is very reasonable, allowing you to get the maximum amount of usage out of your purchase — we like to keep things simple and easy so you can get on and create better RPG products.
Rising Phoenix Games’ RPG Con is On 6y1j3g
Rising Phoenix Games’ RPG Con is this week, all week, right here on the blog!
us for articles, interviews, discounts, and more RPG fun!
Kenny of Oh Sheep! recently interviewed me about the creation of Rising Phoenix Games, publishing games, pursuing your ion, and building your audience. Check out the Rising Phoenix Games Interview with Oh Sheep! below, or on YouTube.
Have any questions about the Rising Phoenix Games interview? Feel free to leave them in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Be sure to check out our own Rising Phoenix Games YouTube channel, where we take a closer look at some of our products and projects. This blog and our newsletter remain our focus, but we release new videos every now and then, especially to showcase new products or ask the community questions, so please consider subscribing.
Rising Phoenix Games’ RPG Con is On 6y1j3g
Rising Phoenix Games’ RPG Con is this week, all week, right here on the blog!
us for articles, interviews like this one, discounts, and more RPG fun! We’ve been adding links to the RPG Con Homepage all week, and there are a lot of super deals to be had.
Phoenixes of the Realms is our newest title on the Dungeon Master’s Guild. The book is a comprehensive collection of phoenixes and phoenix related player options, including seven phoenix subspecies. And you know how much we love phoenixes.
Here’s what you’ll find inside:
The Desert Phoenix (Huge, Challenge 10)
The Desolation Phoenix (Gargantuan, Challenge 18)
The Imperial Phoenix (Large, Challenge 14). inspired by the Chinese Fenghuang and Japanese Houou.
Two new flaming feathered familiars, including the Shield Phoenix.
Rules for phoenix feather magical items.
Phoenix Guardian monastic tradition
Oath of the Phoenix sacred oath.
The Miniature, Frost, and Hydro phoenixes.
Origins of the Book 6394w
Phoenixes of the Realms converts the rules, which first appeared in Phoenixes — A Field Guide (Pathfinder RPG), to fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. It includes new rules and is now set in Faerûn, though it is more of a monster and player option book than a setting book. Ismael Alvarez did a great job of converting the rules, while Anja Svare handled layout. We’ve added more magical phoenix feathers to round out the offering.
The book is available on the Dungeon Masters Guild and is sure to be an invaluable addition to any campaign featuring these flame-feathered creatures. It also s the OGL, so you can add a little phoenix magic to your own roleplaying projects.
Aurora’s Whole Realms Catalogue was a supplement for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd-Edition, packed full of fun and useful items for your characters. Now, we’re revisiting Aurora’s Whole Realms Emporium for some early Christmas shopping!
Friends of mine, Ismael Alvarez, Kim Frandsen, and Troy Daniels kindly asked me to them in revisiting Aurora’s Whole Realms Emporium, this time for D&D fifth edition. We’ve been doing so for a while now, with a Summer, Autumn, Winter, and now a Christmas catalogue published on the Dungeon Master’s Guild.
Need the perfect gift for the barbarian, bard, cleric, druid, fighter, monk, ranger, rogue, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard in your party? Look no further.
Aurora’s Whole Realms Spring Catalogue is in the works, and will soon go off to editing and then layout.
Aurora’s Christmas — Behind the Scenes 1x1a24
A magician never reveals their secrets, but, besides the fact that we deal with magic all the time, I’m no magician, so let me show you a little about what happens behind the scenes during the making of any Aurora’s Whole Realms Seasonal Catalogue.
First, one of our developers becomes a 17th-level wizard and learns the gate spell. We then pool our collective resources, sell a few unnecessary organs, and purchase a diamond worth exactly 5,000 gold pieces. The exchange rate between South African Rands and gold pieces has never been great, so we don’t go for flashier bling, or cut corners. Our dev then teleports to Faerûn to speak directly with Aurora.
On his probable return, the developer sits down with the rest of the writers to produce an accurate translation of the latest seasonal catalog from Common into English. We then have our ash dwarves layout the document in MS Paint, before fairy magic turns the document into the glorious PDF available for purchase.
It’s worth noting that we don’t use any gnomes during the process, they’ve already got plenty of other work to keep them busy and can’t spell ‘catalogue’ to save their lives.
Rising Phoenix Games’ RPG Con is On 6y1j3g
Rising Phoenix Games’ RPG Con is this week, all week, right here on the blog!
us for articles like this one, interviews, discounts, and more RPG fun!
Mini Monday is a bi-weekly blog series where I share customizing, scratch building, kitbashing, and miniature painting projects for your roleplaying and tabletop gaming. The goal is to get through the mountain of grey metal and plastic we all have in our cupboards. Here you’ll find the complete list of articles, listed by project and project type. You can also find all the Mini Monday articles listed, from newest to oldest, by checking out the Mini Monday category.
Continue the Valkyrie: Ragnarok story with Faya’s flight through Bastion. Can she escape, or will she swing for the trail of blood she has left behind her?
We leave Faya’s memory of the dwarves to return to her flight through the city of Bastion. She has just stabbed a man and lost a business associate, and now, with the authorities after her, she tries to make her escape through the labyrinthine city of Bastion. Faya knows that, as a half-elf, she isn’t likely to receive a fair trial; escape is her only option.
If you’ve missed parts of the story, don’t worry, I’ll be compiling all of these into a complete novel, so enjoy these highlights from Faya’s adventures in the meantime.
Image credit: Jace Afsoon
Flight Through Bastion 1s584t
Faya slid under the giant’s tabard and through his legs. Leaping up, she caught a slender stone strut that angle up, into the darkness.
Below she could see the lamps and burning torches of the Undercity. Above sparkled the undying magical luminescence of glow globes.
With her hands and feet, she climbed up and up as arrows whizzed past her. She had to somehow slip out of sight of the watch and escape.
More struts, like stony black ribs, appeared out of the darkness above her. She jumped for them, but as she flew through the air an arrow punched through her upper arm. She caught one of the struts with both hands, but the pain was too much and her right hand slipped.
For a moment she hung in space, illuminated by the torches of the watch and dangling in the open.
Faya gritted her teeth against the pain and caught the strut with her injured hand, then hauled herself up. More arrows bit at the stone between her and the shouting men. She hopped from strut to strut, as her pursuers followed her along the parallel walkway below.
The series of struts ended abruptly at a wall, which the walkway cut through via a narrow tunnel. It was too far to jump back to the walkway, which was packed with men brandishing halberds. Where in the Abyss was that giant, Faya though? She could sense the tempo of the archers now and waited for the lull between their firing and reloading. Then she swung out again and caught the edge of the tiled roof above and pulled herself up, screaming against the pain in her arm. In a moment she was running up the sloped roof, then over an ading roof that covered the wall. The guards followed her through the tunnel, their arrows ready to catch her if she hesitated for even a moment.
There was nothing on the other side, only a deep dark void and a covered bridge that crossed from left to right above her. It was too far to jump.
Suddenly Faya heard a sharp crack. It took her a moment to feel the pain across her cheek, but by then she’d already turned to face her assailant. A city watchman, dresses in the burgundy and black of their number, stood higher up on the roof, his whip coiling through the air for another strike.
“Oh yes, let’s play!” The man was slender, with angry red skin and a sneer. His whip arched back, then snapped forwards in a flash.
“No games,” Faya said, as she caught the whip. She gave it a hard pull and it came free from the man’s hand. The momentum pulled him forwards and he stumbled towards the edge. In a flash, Faya jumped onto his back and launched herself towards the bridge. As the man fell to his death, she lashed out with the whip and caught one of the stone pillars of the bridge. She swung across. She climbed up as fast as she could, aware that an arrow could catch her at any moment.
Springing through one of the stone arches, she bumped over a baker and her basket of fresh bread. Other people stopped to watch the commotion, and the shout went up for the watch. It was early morning, and if she stayed on the street she’d never escape.
Looking around Faya spotted an ash dwarf chained to a post. The post was affixed to the wall by brackets and ran up into the rafters of the bridge’s roof.
Just then crowd parted, and the giant came into view.
The rest of the story continues later this week, but you’ll have to be a newsletter subscriber to get the rest of the action.
Rising Phoenix Games’ RPG Con is On 6y1j3g
Rising Phoenix Games’ RPG Con is this week, all week, right here on the blog!
us for articles like this one, interviews, discounts, and more RPG fun!
