UK Games Expo 2016

For the third year in a row, I've had the good luck to spend a weekend in Birmingham. To most people, that wouldn't necessarily qualify as good luck, but then I do choose to do this on the one weekend in the year when it is the UK Games Expo - one of the biggest geek events in the UK, and the self-proclaimed "largest Hobby Games Convention in the UK."

The event has obviously been growing year-on-year, and 2016 marked the first time that the Expo felt the need to expand into the NEC, taking over Hall 1 for the duration. Given that one of my concerns on the previous two trips was how little room to move there often was in the various trade halls, this seemed like a good call.

Unboxing: Infamy Miniatures One Shot - Goblin Chieftain

Despite not yet having assembled or painted anything from them, Infamy Miniatures have impressed me since they started up. Leading off with a small IndieGoGo campaign, then a Kickstarter for the upcoming Infamy: Welcome to the Big Smoke game,

Having backed both of those endeavours, I was interested when James announced the Kickstarter campaign for the first model in his One Shot range, the Goblin Chieftain. While Goblins aren't usually my cup of tea, this sculpt had enough character to it that I was interested - and when a pledge option opened up that allowed me to pick up this figure, along with 54mm versions of a couple of the characters from the Big Smoke, I jumped right in.

The Trouble with Triples

There's a definite advantage to having a wargaming show in your home city, let alone two. London has Salute, Edinburgh has Claymore, and Leeds is a sorry, has Fiasco. Sheffield puts on two shows a year at the minute - the 6mm-centric Joy of 6, and the scale-agnostic Triples. I attended the latter on March 19th and 20th, and came away a bit concerned.

Before I get onto why I'm concerned for the future of Triples, a quick apology - when I went on the Saturday, I wasn't expecting to write this piece, so didn't take my camera with me. On the Sunday, I just forgot. However, I can draw your attention to the picture in this post on the Pendraken Miniatures forum as to why Triples may be in trouble.

Pathfinder: Bestiary 5

Image credit: Paizo.com

If there is one thing you can't accuse Paizo of, it is not providing you with enough material to expand your game with. From the numerous Adventure Path modules, to the various Advanced Guides and Ultimate books, to the assortment of Campaign Setting supplements, they've spent the last several years working to make sure as many options as possible are covered.

One key element of this for me, as a GM who is trying to relearn the ropes, is the series of Bestiary books that have been released. While I'm unlikely to get to a point where I'm writing scenarios where my group are having to fight Dagon or C'thulu¹, there have been a whole host of creatures - and potential character races - introduced in each book that I am likely to make use of.

In November, the latest Bestiary volume was released. I picked a copy up from my local game shop as it was released, and have been reading through it since...

And it begins again...

Morning all - just wanted to put up a quick post wishing everyone a belated Happy New Year, and to take a quick look at my plans for 2016.

I'll be continuing to post elements of the two main article series I've worked on in 2015 - Dysartes vs. the Warlock, and Finding a Path - as well as introducing some new material, including:

• Taking a look at games designed with a single-player mode, starting with Space Hulk: Death Angel, by Fantasy Flight Games
• Chancing my arm at RPG book reviews, starting with Bestiary 5 for Pathfinder
• Sharing my painting process for models outside my usual comfort zone
• And more as ideas spring to mind.

Hopefully I'll see some of you around as I post during this year.

Dysartes vs. The Warlock - Round 3

I believe it is high time to delve into the mountain once more - Firetop Mountain, that is. I've been playing my way through the first Fighting Fantasy book, Warlock of Firetop Mountain in stages (Part 1 - Part 2). Having given the dungeon a little time to catch it's breath, I'm now ready to pick up the challenge again.

These books provide a basic roleplaying experience, without the hassle of getting a group together. A book, a piece of paper for notes, and a couple of dice, and away you go...

What would make a Goblin's day?

One of the things I like about Pathfinder is the work they've put into making races and classes distinct and interesting. Even a class as basic as the Fighter has gained abilities so he isn't just a walking stack of feats any more.

One of the big achievements with the Rise of the Runelords adventure path - the first one Paizo produced - was the work they put into making Goblins interesting. Even without the illustrations of Wayne England, the Ten Fun Facts About Goblins piece in the introduction to the first module, along with how Goblins are handled during the encounters in that module really change how you'll approach the standard lesser greenskin.

With that in mind, and following some jokes and discussions with my Saturday group, I thought it'd be interesting to see what a Goblin would look like if it was infected with lycanthropy. This would probably not be from a bite, but if something like a barghest wanted to influence a Goblin tribe, giving their leader the ability to turn into a wolf would go a long way. Goblins admire and trust wolves, and would likely see such an ability as a blessing from whichever dark god they were worshipping.