Back in the saddle!

But not painting.
Still working on a few chainmail projects and they're coming along nicely in my spare time - but what's really been devouring my minutes these past weeks has been two things, two things that I've been really nervous and incredibly excited about!

First, my best (or at least my baldest) friend is coming over from England and we're giving him a tour of the Yanktastic States. Secondly, and most busyingly, I've been working on prep and development of my own world and AD&D(1st) campaign.  While I don't take enough notes for a campaign diary, I did want to give a few shoutouts on the one-in-a-million chance that those people actually read this.

Andy - Your characters always come alive, and Corbin is no exception.  It's a joy to hear him preach to the poor, unsuspecting cultists brigands.

Val - My wife and my inspiration (by inspiration, I mean the one who tells me to do things and I do them). First time ever playing a fighter and you pick a savage, violent Russian?  No wonder I married you!

Lisa - First time ever playing AD&D, and with a (very) strange group. You did marvelously and I hope you'll continue to join us again and again.

Pete & Tes - Sorry about the poison!  But, as always, it's a pleasure to have you guys with us.

David - My brother and up there with the best friends I've ever had.  You got me into this D&D thing all those years ago, you even gifted me with my first books. I'll be eternally grateful for this, and the world as it develops is dedicated to you. Don't break it too much!


Anyway - because of the geographic disparity in our group (Colorado - New Jersey - Great Britain) we used a program called GameTable to manage our dice rolls and help offer pictures and graphics to my players. I think it worked surprisingly well - we were all first-time users and gradually we got more used to it. I'll certainly be using it more often, or at least when it comes to the most complex of combats, anyway.  We also used our old Ventrilo server to handle voice communications - everyone came through crystal clear for me, and hopefully they weren't too put off by the headsets they wore.

It was my first time DMing a campaign in over ten years, and while the responsibility is terrifying (I'm a wuss, don'tchaknow) I had a huge amount of fun and I think the players seemed to enjoy it too.

 I wonder when they'll work out just what this 'darkness' is?

Chain mail

No, not THAT kind of Chainmail. I mean the real stuff, made of steel and made by burly bearded men in leather aprons.

The name of this blog isn't by random choice. I make chain and mail, both as a hobby for myself and by rare commission for people who want cool little doodads like dice bags, clothing and random bits of chains. If you need chain mail hosiery for a loved one, captive child, pet or real doll, now is the time to order it... Or something, anyway. I figured that as I hadn't actually posted anything about any of my chain work I should show some off. Now's the time to do that simply because I've gotten into a few projects for people before the holiday seasons so have put a few other hobbies aside for a while to pick up my tools again for a bit.

Here's a couple pictures of bits of steel in odd shapes I've either done or am currently working on. It's not much, but nothing's worse than anything else.

No minis!?

No, Joe, this isn't a flagrant plagiarism of your own blog post... Well, MAYBE it is, but anyway.

I spent today pushing around pieces and hanging out with some jolly fine chaps. No miniatures were involved, although vast amounts of cardboard chits were. I may have spent 90% of the time trying to worm miniatures into every single game, but it was still a marvelous time.  I'd never really paid a huge amount of attention to these games before, except when I was randomly designing my own Master of Magic inspired board battle-games aged 8, so it was a great thing to finally play and watch others play some of the games that make up the history of what led to the rise and popularity of miniatures wargaming.

And damnit if it wasn't a heck of a lot of fun! True, the people helped, just like D&D we spend as much time laughing and talking about related subjects as we do pushing counters around. That's what gaming's all about, kids! I even won my very first game. I'm clearly some sort of tactical savant-genius (or just damn lucky, which is probably more true than anything else I've ever said)!

Here's pictorial evidence of the final turn before my opponent conceded defeat (arguably with just cause, I was playing red). Warning on click-through, it's a BIG picture.

Update!

Because I'm feeling guilty about not updating (and bad about not painting more), I figured I should post a few things on my painting table that are not anywhere near finished, or worth seeing, just because I can. So, here they are. A Centurion and a Victor (eventually to be from the Magistracy of Canopus 2nd Canopian Fusiliers), and a Warhammer IIC and Madcat from Clan Jade Falcon's Sigma Galaxy.

They look terrible, and the pictures aren't any good (damnit Jim, I'm a painter, role-player and writer, not a photographer!), especially close-up, but the Magistracy 'mechs are also due several more coats and the Clan Jade Falcon fellows are barely even started. I'm sure they'll look better when done.  Still working on these, and the 1:1200 Trafalgar/Age of Sail ships... And the myriad of 15mm stuff. I'm slow, deal with it!

Anyway, pictures. Do the clicky thing.