Introducing a New OSR Resource: Meatshields! The Classic Fantasy Hireling & Henchman Generator

Readers of the blog know that I've hinted at a big announcement over the last week or two. It's now time for the official unveiling!

Last fall, I created a random hireling generator. This generator found its origins in materials pieced together from forums, websites, and blogs, and was restructured and revised with my own personal thoughts. I subsequently added a random name generator based on a set of prefixes and suffixes. I tried to pay homage to Gygax, Arneson, and others within. Both were downloaded a ton from Scribd.

Not long thereafter, I started talking to Cr0m, one of the DMs at Red Box Vancouver, who took an interest in the above resources. The two of us cobbled some free time together over a couple months and developed a web-version of the combined hireling and name generators for use by the OSR community. The new generator is designed for classic fantasy and as such is compatible with OD&D, Basic, 1E and their retroclones. The new generator includes new Old School art that refreshes each time you visit the opening page. The generator includes over 1600 possibilities for human names alone. We returned to the articles in Dragon Magazine as a guide.

Please use the comments section below to tell us what you think and suggest and revisions to the generator. Please spread the word through your groups and communities on the web.

I'd like to thank and give primary credit to Cr0m for his time and web expertise to this project. I've made a good friend.

Without further pomp or circumstance, we give you Meatshields! The Classic Fantasy Hireling and Henchman Generator.

http://nerd.christophergeisel.com/index.php/hireling

Otherworld Miniatures: Painted Skeletons and Stirges

Painting my MegaMiniatures skeletons helped me get back into the swing of things and allowed me to develop my own painting "recipe" for skeletons. My approach has been to start small and/or to start with monsters - get all my mistakes out of the way - and then settle into a groove for painting adventurers. I anticipate sending more time painting those figures than your rank-and-file evil-doers.

I've also bought a ton of 1980s Citadel miniatures for painting down the road. The Citadel figures are nigh-unto-perfect for D&D. The dwarves are exactly how I imagine them in my game. I also prefer the adventurer look to them, rather than looking like overdone hero types. Pictures of those will be far down the line.

Anyway, without further ado, here are the pics...

(ps. Don't forget to stay tuned to the blog for (what we think) will be the announcement of a great new OSR resource in the coming days)

MegaMiniatures: Painted Skeletons

I came across MegaMiniatures early last year. I didn't order from them initially, but I did sift through their catalogue online several times. Subsequent to that I read a post on Dungeons and Digressions wherein the author ordered some skeletons. They looked great in addition to excellent service and fast shipping.

I put an order in last fall for a group of PC types and posted here that I had a very good experience and really liked the miniatures. Nice crisp figures with minimal mold lines.

Since that time MegaMiniatures opened an online storefront. I placed a second order, this time for skeletons and PCs. There's a bit of a backstory to that purchase, as I tried and tried to paint skeletons as a teenager but my figures always sucked really hard (they were really, really terrible). So, I decided to rectify that wrong and, since I started painting figures again, I put skeletons at the top of my list.

To be clear, I'm not affiliated with MegaMiniatures and I don't know John. All I can tell you is that they have great miniatures at low prices and have outstanding service. I just placed a third order. They now have flat rate shipping.

I can recommend MegaMiniatures to you (again) without reservation.

Here's some of my recent work. Keep in mind I've had a lay-off of a couple decades. I'm still learning and making mistakes. Let me know what you think. I'll post in the next couple days about my DIY lightbox and some Otherworld skeletons and Stirges I've painted. I've also been working on a double-secret project with another Red Box Old Schooler that we will release to the OSR shortly. We aren't letting the cat out of the bag yet though, Mhuahahahahahahaha.

More Orange Goblins

Just a quick post today.

I'm busy painting my orange-skinned Otherworld goblins and thought I'd pull this picture, mentioned in the comments, that I have in my collection but had forgotten.

I appreciate both the early art of D&D but also the more "realistic" exactness of Keith Parkinson. I played all the Dragonlance modules as they came out and have fond memories of Parkinson's covers on those adventures.

I'm in the process of building a DIY light-box to take pictures of some of the miniatures I've painted so far. I just need to find some cheap clamp lights...

Painting Goblins Based on the MM: Part II

Based on the descriptions from the MM brought forward in the previous post, I decided to paint an old Ral Partha goblin dull orange to see if the aesthetic "fit" and could provide a departure from basic green.

I'm no professional photographer, but here are two pics of the Ral Partha goblin with a third beside an Otherworld goblin prepped for painting (side note: I've had this Ral Partha since the early 1980s sitting in an old cigar box).

Please let me know in the comments if you think the look fits or not? Painting goblins like this follows the MM, but moves against the common convention of green goblins (side note II: I filed the base to make him into a slotta).

Thanks!

Painting Humanoids: Do Your Goblins Look Like this?

I've always loved this image. The goblins appeared different from other representations in D&D, or are they? I'll return to this in a moment.

I'm slowly creeping to the point where I've prepared all my Otherworld monsterous humanoids for painting. now I need to start making decisions about how I want them to look. The default seems to be "green" for most, although that doesn't really distinguish the various types once they are on the table, and it sure doesn't provide much variety.

So, I surveyed the AD&D Monster Manual for descriptions, trying to find ways to make each group look unique. The above image from The Forest Oracle seems spot on from the description, but I just don't know if I can go through with it! What do you think regarding the descriptions below?

Goblin:

“Goblins range from yellow through dull orange to brick red in skin color. Their eyes are reddish to lemon yellow. They dress in dark leather gear, and their garments tend towards dull, soiled-looking colors (brown drab, dirty gray, stained maroon).”

Gnoll:

“There is a great resemblance between gnolls and hyenas. Gnolls have greenish gray skins, darker near the muzzle, with a reddish gray to dull yellow mane. Eyes are dull black and nails are amber colored. Their armor is of horn, metal plates, and leather; like their fur capes and vests, it is shabby, and the latter are moth-eaten and dingy, being brown, black or grayish pelts.”

Orc:

“Orcs appear particularly disgusting because their coloration – brown or brownish green with a bluish sheen – highlights their pinkish snouts and ears. Their bristly hair is dark brown or black, sometimes with tan patches. Even their armor tends to be unattractive – dirty and often a bit rusty. Orcs favor unpleasant colors in general. Their garments are tribal colors, as are shield devices or trim. Typical colors are blood red, rust red, mustard yellow, yellow green, moss green, greenish purple, and blackish brown.”

Hobgoblin:

“The hairy hides of hobgoblins range from dark reddish-brown to gray black. Their faces are bright red-orange to red. Large males will have blue-red noses. Eyes are either yellowish or dark brown. Teeth are yellowed white to dirty yellow. Hobgoblins favor bright, bloody colors and back leather. They keep their weapons polished.”

Bugbear:

“The skin of bugbears is light yellow to yellow brown – typically dull yellow. Their hair ranges in color from lusterless tannish brown to brick red. Their eyes are greenish white with red pupils. The odds and ends of armor they wear, as well as whatever cloth, skins, or hides they drape themselves in, tends to be ill-kept, dirty, and dingy.”

Kobold:

“The hide of kobolds runs from very dark rusty brown to a rusty black. They have no hair. Their eyes are reddish and their small horns are tan to white. They favo red or orange garb.”

Follow-Up: Back 2 Basics Bases

Recently I reviewed a purchse of 25mm bases from Back 2 Basics.

I've had a chance to work with them and wanted to show you the preliminary results.

Keep in mind the images below are washed by the flash and are darker than they appear.

My process was a prime of black, dark grey, medium grey, light grey, spray of dullcote.

After I base minis I will add a bit of moss here or there, blood splatter, or perhaps some small puddles.

Let me know what you think.

Review: Miniature Bases by Back 2 Base-ix

In anticipation of working with my Otherworld miniatures, I've surveyed websites and blogs devoted to painting and basing. In the day, I just glued my citadel miniatures into their slotta bases and away I went. I had zero concern for mold lines, light and shade, and aesthetically pleasing bases. There was no LGS (or internet) to go to and learn about this stuff either.

I did notice though that a number of folks had really spiffy dungeon floor or cobblestone bases for their miniatures that really added a nice finishing touch. Sure, I could keep it simple (and cheap/er) by gluing and painting ballast on the bases, but normally stuff is happening in dungeons, crypts, etc and woodland bases just didn't seem to make sense. I've experimented with ballast bases on some pre-painted EM-4 minis, and that was fine but not what I wanted for my Otherworld miniatures.

So I found the Back 2 Base-ix store on Ebay and ordered several lots of round "Dungeon Stone" and "Cobblestone" bases in 25mm and 40mm. Now, these aren't low maintenance. You have to remove flash on almost all the bases and I had to sand the bottoms flat (don't breath in). Then you have to wash them in soapy water. Be warned, there's a fair amount of work to be done even before you get to priming.

Despite the work involved, I would recommend Back 2 Base-ix. Aaron is very friendly and helpful. The bases come from Australia and, at least in my case, were shipped very quickly. I'm looking forward to buying more. They have free shipping until the end of April.

Here's a look at some of their bases. These are the style I intend to use:

Level Titles

Happy Friday everyone.

There are two sets of titles here. The first are some homebrew level titles designed for the Core LL rules and the second for the Advanced Edition Characters.

What started this? I really dislike "Veteran" for a first level fighter. One thing after another, and I have new level titles for everything.

I've never created level titles before, so feel free to nit-pick.

CLERICS
Level Title
1 Acolyte
2 Devotee
3 Friar
4 Zealot
5 Priest
6 Crusader
7 Templar
8 Ecclesiarch
9 High Priest

MAGIC-USERS
Level Title
1 Channeller
2 Spellweaver
3 Magus
4 Arcanist
5 Mage
6 Summoner
7 Magister
8 Warlock
9 Arch-Mage

FIGHTERS
Level Title
1 Swordsman
2 Freebooter
3 Sellsword
4 Warrior
5 Swordmaster
6 Weaponmaster
7 Myrmidon
8 Champion
9 Warlord

THIEVES
Level Title
1 Thug
2 Knave
3 Purse-Cutter
4 Charlatan
5 Master Purse-Cutter
6 Vagabond
7 Sneak-Thief
8 Master Sneak-Thief
9 Guildmaster

DWARVES
Level Title
1 Axeman
2 Hammerhand
3 Mountain Guard
4 Dwarf Warrior
5 Axemaster
6 Hammerguard
7 Battlehammer
8 Dwarf Champion
9 Dwarf Warlord

HALFLINGS
Level Title
1 Halfling Thug
2 Halfling Knave
3 Halfling Purse-Cutter
4 Halfling Charlatan
5 Halfling Master Purse-Cutter
6 Halfling Vagabond
7 Halfling Sneak-Thief
8 Halfling Master Sneak-Thief

ELVES
Level Title
1 Swordsman-Channeller
2 Freebooter-Spellweaver
3 Sellsword-Magus
4 Warrior-Arcanist
5 Swordmaster-Mage
6 Weaponmaster-Summoner
7 Myrmidon-Magister
8 Champion-Warlock
9 Warlord-Arch-Mage

ADVANCED EDITION COMPANION TITLES:

ILLUSIONIST
Level Title
1 Prestidigitator
2 Charmer
3 Dazzler
4 Glamourer
5 Hypnotist
6 Illusioneer
7 Beguiler
8 Phantasmalist
9 Thaumaturge

MONK
Level Title
1 Brother
2 Anchorite
3 Cenobite
4 Eremite
5 Master of Earth
6 Master of Air
7 Master of Water
8 Master of Fire
9 Grand Master

PALADIN
Level Title
1 Squire
2 Chevalier
3 Knight-Errant
4 Knight-Vigilant
5 Knight-Banneret
6 Knight-Crusader
7 Knight-Templar
8 Knight-Protector
9 Knight-Commander

DRUID
Level Title
1 Initiate of Spring
2 Initiate of Summer
3 Initiate of Fall
4 Initiate of Winter
5 Ovate of Nature
6 Voice of Nature
7 Defender of Nature
8 Wrath of Nature
9 Grand Geomancer

RANGER
Level Title
1 Wanderer
2 Rover
3 Scout
4 Gadabout
5 Strider
6 Master Scout
7 Outrider
8 Pathfinder
9 Master Pathfinder

ASSASSIN
Level Title
1 Throat-Cutter
2 Garotteur
3 Murderer
4 Backbiter
5 Master Throat-Cutter
6 Silent Killer
7 Death Dealer
8 Assassin
9 Guildmaster

Red Box Niagara: Inaugural Session Recap!

Sorry to keep you waiting for the after-action report of the first session of Red Box Niagara. I had two papers to give at conferences (both on D&D) and then the final week of classes. So I'm pretty well beaten down and looking forward to a slower pace over the summer.

If you have been following the blog, you know that I've drawn great inspiration from the Red Box Calgary and particularly the Red Box Vancouver game sessions. After struggling to find a regular group of players I decided to create a promotional poster of sorts that I put up around the University (Brock) and at the (somewhat) FLGS. I was shocked to have 8 people at the first session all between 19-24ish. This group included one veteran role-player, four 4E players, and several people who had never played D&D. Two of the players were former students. Many I met for the first time. Overall, I was extremely pleased and, since our first session, I've had two more express interest. I've never ran a table of 8 players before, so that was unique. I'll return to that theme later. We played from 5:30-9pm

I spent the first 30 minutes going over old school play, what it means, and how it differs from 4E. I made a summary sheet of classic D&D tactics, and a summary sheet that I found (sorry I don't recall where) that summed up the Old School Primer nicely. We discussed some of these assumptions, why they are important, and had a full discussion. I tried to keep it light and I think they appreciated it. After all, some had never played D&D before. I made it clear that regardless of how long this group plays we will always be open to teaching and helping new players.

Character generation was a straight 3d6 in order. Some raised eyebrows but went along with it. The party consisted of:

Dingle Hardbottle: 1st Level Halfling
Kahn Silverson: 1st Level Cleric
Gargamel: 1st Level Magic-User
Karrik Wolfwood: 1st Level Fighter
"Big" Rory Danderfluff: 1st Level Halfling
Kalthazod: 1st Level Cleric
Kilmar: 1st Level Fighter
Gilrus: 1st Level Elf

The party hired two torch-bearers/porters, 2 elven men-at-arms (I know but the dice don't lie), and a human man-at-arms. There were generated using my random hireling generator and name generator.

This session was unique in my D&D gaming as most of the party chose chaos as their alignment. The two clerics choose Tiamat and Orcus as their deities. On top of all that, we laughed HARD for 4 fricken hours. I had the players answer two questions to introduce themselves to the party 1) Ware you? 2) How did you get to stuck in this god-forsaken keep at the ass-end of the civilized realm? I offered experience points for the most creative answers. I tell you, these guys opened up right away and had each other laughing out loud. You know those sessions where you have a lot of fun and still get something done? Ya well, this wasn't one of those. It was just yucking for hours. I think people were a wee bit crispy being the end of the year and term. I like having a laugh too, but I'm secretly hoping for a little more seriousness in the next session.

The party spent a good portion of their time introducing themselves (with accents no less), getting organized, and finding hirelings. Of course they failed to hire a guide. I put the Caves of Chaos two full days march into the wilderness, it is way too close in the module. From there the party found a long-abandoned dwarven trade road and were told to follow it for two days and then head north to find the caves. I had them hex mapping which was a brand new experience. They really agonized over the location of their first campsite. The considered defensive positions, setting up traps to warn them of intruders, the whole nine yards.

We ended with an encounter with a wild boar. The party won initiative and killed the creature with ranged attacks. Once the boar appeared I said "Ok, initiative" at which time almost everybody grabbed a 20-sided die and rolled! Haha. I had to back them up to the d6 and then tell them we were doing a group initiative. Too funny.

So, that's the short and the long of the first session. We finished just a couple hexes away from the Caves.

If I keep getting 8-10 players I'm going to need to break them up into two groups or something. Perhaps normal D&D attrition will take care of it? I dunno. Also, if all the chaotic players aren't playing their alignment I'm going to impose an alignment shift to neutral. I'm open to any an all comments or suggestions on how best to manage a group this size.

Red Box Niagara, Session 1, Party Deaths: 0