Howdy podviewers and welcome to another episode of the show.

As you can see I’ve opted for another moving image contribution to highlight some of the goodies I picked up during my recent visit to Edinburgh.

As per other video efforts this one taps out close to 10 minutes as this is the maximum record time for the camera I’m using – sure I could do something longer with my other video camera, but that’s a decent amount of time for a little show and tell video methinks.

Following on from my previous podcast video I did indeed pick up some black paint while in the Scottish capital, but not from the city centre Warhammer store. Instead I went to the excellent Wonderland Models of Lothian Road a stone’s throw from the castle and city center. Can’t recommend this place enough should you find yourself in Edinburgh as it’s got something for everyone – model kits, miniature figures in varying scales and genres plus paints and glues to last a lifetime. Not forgetting model railway sets and remote control cars.

Great place!

A shame I couldn’t buy more as I was limited to what I could carry on to my Easyjet flight.

However, at least I am now ‘Back in Black’.

Also in the same part of town, just around the corner, is Armchair Books which not only seems to have every book in existence but features an entire shelf full of Fighting

Not forgetting the other FF book I picked up in a charity shop elsewhere in town.

Furthermore I picked up a 1/72 scale Spitfire with Czech transfers from another charity store in the nearby town of North Berwick. While I may theoretically use it for a WWII wargame (and thus justify its inclusion in this video) I’ll probably just build it for pleasure’s sake some time in the future.

Damn! Just remembered I don’t have any glue. Time for another trip to Edinburgh…..

Links:

https://www.armchairbooks.co.uk/

https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/

Just a quick one today.

To mark the passing of an actor many of you will know from his role as King Theoden in The Two Towers and Return of the King, this mini podcast is a few words about Bernard Hill.

While not exactly a gaming personality, there is a link as he features in an RPG released in conjunction with the films. 'The Lord of the Rings Role Playing Adventure game' was full of still images from the movie series and the boxed set I have is dedicated to the 2nd movie in which King Theoden makes his appearance.

There's probably many more people out there with much more eloquent dedications, but here's my humble effort.

Hail King Theoden, Yosser Hughes, Bernard Hill.

'Gizza job!'

"It's Role Playing Jim, but not as we know it".

Welcome to another episode of the podcast and thank you for dropping by.

This one is inspired by another random event in my life. Not so long ago my wife purchase something online and was rewarded with a three month free subscription to Amazon Prime. As a result I watched all 3 seasons of 'Picard' and it made me realize that over my life, in spite of not being a huge Star Trek fan, I've always steadily consumed the films and tv series.

I had a couple of toys when I was a kid, watched most of the films and saw some of The Next Generation. While being more of a Star Wars fan, I'm very comfortable in liking Star Trek.

Which brings to the game in question - Star Trek Adventures by Modiphius entertainment. Specifically the boxed starter set I picked up a few years ago with the proceeds from the sale of a spare Heroquest.

It's one of several sci. fi. RPGs in my collection, but this one seems very reasoned, well thought out and seems to convey the IP very well. In short a damn fine product with some clever mechanics and nuances.

Also it offers the players a setting far more vast and exciting than some others out there.

Enjoy.

(...apologies if the Star Trek alarm klaxon is a bit annoying at the start, thought I'd drop in a sound effect...)

https://www.modiphius.net/pages/star-trek-adventures

Greetings listeners (and viewers),

It's time for another podcast and this one is a little video. As mentioned in previous episodes I will occasionally be dipping into video occasionally and when I do it'll be something on the short side.

Today I lift the lid - literally - on my paint collection. The reason? I was all ready to start a long overdue painting sessions a couple weekends ago, but disaster struck!

My Abaddon Black had dried up.

Not only did this mean I couldn't undercoat anything as I prefer to undercoat in black, but also a normally long lasting Citadel paint has faded to dust. Something I don't often see.

Some of my paint collection is decades old. The two oldest paints come from some time in the 1990s and they're still going strong. So the discovery that a relatively newly bought paint had dried out was a shock and disappointment. My theory is the design of the pot allows paint to accumulate around the lid preventing an air tight seal that in turns allows the paint to dry.

In either case it caused me to check all my other paints in case others were in danger of turning into mini deserts. Luckily this wasn't the case, but it inspired me to show you all my paint collection and the haphazard container I use to store it all in plus the other accessories and sundry items.

As you will see I don't have a bespoke paint storage system, but something improvised and random.

Just the way I like it!

D&D hits the supermarket shelves!

Greetings folks, this episode is about a minor seismic event in the world of RPGs. Last year's release of the D&D Adventurer magazine in the UK.

Instead of having to visit a hobby or book store, this publication appeared all over the place such as in newsagents, supermarkets and corner stores. Its purpose was to bring the D&D hobby to a

Such a magazine publishing concept is nothing new and something I remember from my childhood. They usually, but not

Then by means of only introducing one craft or hobby component per issue they entice the reader to buy the whole series so the

Sounds simple?

In practice the magazine issues increase substantially in price after the first two or three meaning you need to spend some serious cash to finish something you could otherwise get for a fraction of the price if you just went to a hobby or craft store in the first place.

While they appear in a blaze of publicity, including TV adverts, they tend of fade away after a few issues with only the most steadfast newsagent daring to stock a small number. 

With this in mind the D&D Adventurer magazine created quite a stir although this didn’t last long once the ‘free’ goodies that came with the magazine were not enough to justify the increased price. However, unlike other similar publications it isn't components you need to play D&D, but rather information in the form of rules. So how does this mag measure up?

Is it of any substance, is this a radical new way to introduce people to the game or was it a mere attention grabbing

Listen in and make up your minds.

https://hachettepartworks.com/en-en/dungeons-and-dragons-adventurer/

Happy New Year listener(s) and viewer(s),

I'm back after a woefully long period of time. For a while I was starting to think that my podcast was going the way of many that have come before it - a few episodes every once in a while before the inevitable disappearance, never to be found again.

Another lost soul down the proverbial digital well.

Well, not so with me!

I dragged myself to my camera, microphone and computer to concoct a very simple little video that will hopefully serve as an hors-d'œuvre for the year to come.

The last few months has been the usual list of things keeping me away from my little podcast, so no point listing them (family, work, life in general etc) and even the simple act of speaking into a mic has seemed to much for manage. 'Sad but true', to quote James Hetfield.

Anyway, this episode is a little show and tell for some miniatures I bought in a charity shop while visiting the UK last November. It was nice to know I still have the knack of finding such items in these kind of places.

Some nice minis here I think you'll agree from the mid-80s and early 90s. Ah, I do love the classics.

Anyway, enjoy and hopefully I'll be back before long.

Cheers!

Tom

Greetings pod listeners and welcome to another one man stream of conscious podcast.

I'm dusting off a file that's a few months old having recorded this in the light and heat of Slovakia over the summer. Initially I was just doing this as a way to get the creative juices going with regards an article I was planning on writing for a wargames mag. Alas, the creative writing juices are still dammed up so I thought I'd at least upload the tortured trickles.

This episode is a meandering trek through my thoughts on scenery and terrain pieces in wargaming, and my love of miniature trees, hills and rivers. Something that probably goes back to my old model train set and the fascination of seeing things come to life by the judicious addition of some greenery.

Also in the past day the tragic news has come in that some maniac took a chainsaw to the tree in Sycamore Gap along Hadrian's Wall in Northern England.

B*stard!

It's a place I've visited a few times and its loss just goes to show how a tree, or lack of one, can change the mood.

Sycamore Gap RIP. Let's hope someone can find a way of planting a decent sized on in the same location before too long.

Time for another video I think!

I needed to test out my camera and microphone kit for an upcoming filming job, but rather that just filming me saying 'Testing 1-2-3, Testing 1-2-3' over and over, I thought I'd do something a tiny bit creative.

So I got out my un-played Bloodsword books written by Dave Morris and illustrated by Russ Nicholson to give them a quick video outing.

I've talked about these fine books before, but here they are in the flesh. Interestingly while they inhabit the same game World as Morris' RPG 'Dragon Warriors' the combat system is different using only D6s instead of the full polyhedral set. On the subject of which, the combat damage in this game can be eye wateringly high. No 2 stamina points of damage per round here folks. As the example in the video shows, you can be up against an opponent who deals 10d6 worth of damage here. Yes, you read that right - 10d6!

As such these books can be lethal and unforgiving with the player or players needing to choose clever about the type of characters they use and tactics they employ. Talking of which the game's USP is the use of tactical maps that transform the game from a book only experience to one in which you can use minis and a small board if you choose.

In either case this line of books are widely available as print on demand so give 'em a go. If you dare.....

Painted giant. Check!

Orcs and Elves. Check!

Scenery ready. Check!

Time for a game. In this episode I chronicle my, at times, confused and fraught plan to FINALLY play scenario 1 from the classic Games Workshop product 'Blood Bath at Orc's Drift'. A mini campaign from the 80s during the era of Warhammer 2nd edition.

In a previous episode I talked about this product and not so long ago mused about my plan to play through this fine product at some point in the future. Given my relocation from Holland to Switzerland, and the ensuing chaos this had on my gaming in general, I thought I'd set myself a mission to actually get my act together and play it. Or at least the first scenario.

Since our plans over the summer included a two week stop in Holland I chose this as my window to play the Kachas Pass battle as all my scenery, wargame board and many of the minis were located there. Whereas the requisite Orcs had been painted over the past few months in Switzerland. Yet, the final piece of the puzzle was collecting a Denizen minis order I'd had mailed to my parents' house in the UK. All a bit convoluted and logistically odd, but such is my life at the moment.

Anyway, I'm glad to say things fell into place and much fun was had by all. Well, fun was had by me.

Ah, I love it when a plan comes together.

Not a full episode, but rather a quick aside that will barely do justice to this podcast's subject, namely the amazing artist Russ Nicholson.

I was saddened to learn of his death just after I'd uploaded the last episode and I'm sure many long time gamers out there are feeling a similar sense of loss at Russ' passing. While I make no pretense to knowing the man, his work absolutely pulled me deeper and deeper into the gaming hobby with his amazing illustrations that were quite simply from another dimension of imagination.

Also the fact I'm playing through the Fabled Lands and Blood Sword game books at the moments makes it all that bit little sadder as the fantastic pictures that adorn those two book series were drawn by him.

Russ Nicholson you are missed, but your work lives on!