tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34792998139439071592024-03-08T06:57:39.638-08:00The Mayhem of Miniature'sZanazazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04980968371007703230noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479299813943907159.post-62465596948939515652021-09-17T19:01:00.001-07:002021-09-17T19:01:44.797-07:00It's been a while....<p>It's been over nine years since my last post on this blog. Now that I am blogging again I thought I resurrect this long, lost blog.</p><p>The world of miniatures for gaming has changed has changed immensely. Now that 3d printers have become affordable for many people; it opens many opportunities. Designing and printing your own miniatures and terrain is possible. If you can't design your own, then there are companies that sell STL files of miniatures and terrain. There are also companies that "print on demand" if you send them the STL files. A popular one is <a href="https://www.shapeways.com/">Shapeways</a>. They have over 90 different materials that can be used for printing.<br /><br />I found a Swedish company,<a href="https://www.2nddynasty.com/"> 2nd Dynasty</a> that sells STL files of Traveller ships in 28mm scale.! The first one is a Scout ship and it looks amazing. They also have other ships available. I used to love playing Traveller and it was the second RPG I ever bought. In fact I had to mail order the boxed set because there was no world wide web, and not many games stores.<br /><br />I plan on giving the old school method of sculpting a gaming miniature a try and making a mold to reproduce it.. I plan on starting with something fairly simple like a stone elemental. I have to pose it in a way that is easy to make a mold for.<br /><br />Anyway I will close for now. Keep those dice rolling, and stay healthy.<br /><br /> </p>Zanazazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04980968371007703230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479299813943907159.post-20371566472860763442012-12-10T18:11:00.002-08:002012-12-10T18:11:18.201-08:00Google+ Communities - Miniature WargamingGoogle+ has recently implemented what they call "communities", which is something between a forum, and a Yahoo group? Not sure how to describe it, but I decided to create one, called <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/#communities/100185697135117062216">Miniature Wargaming</a>. If you happen to stumble upon this blog, and participate in Google+ please feel free to join the community.Zanazazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04980968371007703230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479299813943907159.post-76013599585037654632012-11-20T15:21:00.000-08:002012-11-20T15:21:13.034-08:00The Miniatures Page™<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you like miniature wargaming, then you probably already know about The Miniatures Page™. I've been referring to TMP™ quite a bit as I conduct research for the "mega-project". It has an index of every miniature manufacturer on the web. According to TMP™, there are <strong>1256</strong> websites of miniature manufacturers! Whew...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Since I am trying to compile a list of every single miniature wargaming ruleset, and many miniature manufacturers write rules for their own lines of miniatures, that could end up being a lot of rulesets. In fact, I kind of fried my brain, and took a break for a couple of days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Anyway, if your looking to expand your miniature collection, or terrain, then check out <a href="http://theminiaturespage.com/">The Miniatures Page</a></span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">™. If you can't find what you want at one of the many miniature companies, then you're just going to have to sculpt it yourself.</span>Zanazazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04980968371007703230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479299813943907159.post-26194491750010655522012-11-15T13:14:00.000-08:002012-11-15T13:14:57.183-08:00Free Miniature RulesI like free. Especially when it comes to my hobbies. So when I found some free rulesets doing research for the "megaproject" I downloaded them.<br />
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The first was <strong>Away Team</strong>, a "Star Trekish" miniature skirmish game. The rules and miniatures (which of course aren't free), but are inexpensive, can be found on the <a href="http://astrominiatures.blogspot.com/">Astrominiature's</a> blog. Below is the brief description of the game in the PDF.<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Away Team </span></span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">is a simple miniatures-based combat game based in the Astro-miniatures universe.</span></span></blockquote>
The PDf is 8 pages long, one of which is a chart of the "character" types. I've skimmed the rules, and on a complexity scale of 1 thru 10, I think it's probably a 3 or 4. It's simple, easy, without a lot of complex rules. It might be a good starter game for someone new to the hobby, and you can't beat the price! There is a link on the blog to download the PDF.<br /><br />The next game is <strong>Paper Tigers</strong>, a World War Two skirmish game. Here's the introduction from the PDF:<br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Paper Tigers is designed as an introduction to miniatures war gaming </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">for the beginner. It is intended to be played with paper miniatures printed in </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/72 or 1/76 scale. To that end, the rules are kept deliberately easy to learn. This does not mean the rules are unsophisticated. Players will find that good tactics are generally rewarded.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Even though the rules are intended to be used with paper miniatures, I'm sure other miniatures can be used easily enough.<br /><br />Even though I haven't played the game, I'm intrigued by the playing card method of generating the turn sequence. The PDF is only 6 pages long, but it's a little more complex than Away Team. I give it a 5 on the complexity scale, but that may change once I play it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Paper Tigers can be downloaded for free off of </span><a href="http://wargamedownloads.com/index.php?pics="><span style="font-size: small;">Wargame downloads.com</span></a><span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">The next game is <strong>Wildfire</strong>, a fast paced skirmish game for modern or science fiction settings. Here's the introduction from the PDF.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Wildfire is a fast-paced miniatures skirmish combat game designed to cover the modern and science-fiction genres. The game is based around the actions of Fire Teams, small two or three man groups that act as a team, covering each other and effectively fighting as a single unit. Wildfire is designed to cover small-scale actioins with approximately ten Fire Teams on each side. Vehicles are covered in the rules, as appropriate for small scale skirmish games. Wildfire is designed for two players, but can be played with more if wished.</span></blockquote>
This PDF comes in at 105 pages. Skimming the rules I would rate it at a complexity of 7 or 8, maybe higher. Again, I haven't played, so that rating may change. I read a review that mentioned the rules were a bit confusing. Wildfire can also be downloaded for free at <a href="http://wargamedownloads.com/index.php?pics="><span style="font-size: small;">Wargame downloads.com</span></a>.<br />
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The spreadsheet of miniature rules is growing, and it's up to 167. I'm sure later tonight that it will probably be close, if not over, 200.Zanazazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04980968371007703230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479299813943907159.post-1493614790895143422012-11-14T11:47:00.000-08:002012-11-14T11:49:48.541-08:00Megaproject UpdateI've been busy compiling a spreadsheet of miniature wargaming rulesets, and I'm already up to 153. That does not include many of the historical games, so I'm sure the number will go way up. Some of these are supplements to a main ruleset, and others are variations of a ruleset for a different genre.<br />
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I'm not sure all I have listed so far will make the cut, like MLB SportsClix. I've included some of the games I wasn't sure about for completeness, and may delete them later after I do some more research. I haven't listed different subsets of the collectible miniature games, like HeroClix, but I will eventually in some form or another.<br />
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This is going to be a major project, and I may break it up into different volumes. I haven't decided yet, it mainly depends on how much information I will include about each game. Some games will get more coverage than others due to popularity, size of the product line, etc.<br />
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I never knew there were so many different miniature wargaming rulesets.<br />
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I've posted the updated list on the Miniature Gaming Rules Page.Zanazazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04980968371007703230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479299813943907159.post-66277139241012788652012-11-12T12:50:00.000-08:002012-11-12T12:50:11.379-08:00My New MegaprojectIt's been a while since I've posted on this blog. Life just got in the way. This isn't my only blog, and I feel a little sad I've neglected it. Anyway...<br />
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Aside from MageKnight, I've been trying to decide which other rule set to use for miniature wargaming? There are so many that it's difficult to decide. I read blogs, and forums, and check out companies websites. I compare prices, range of models, and the look of the miniatures. I've been doing this for about a year now, and I still haven't decided which one to play... UGH. I really want to make sure I pick one I enjoy, because it's not a cheap hobby.<br />
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Within the past week, I've decided to start a project, and since I am already researching rules, I plan on compiling everything into a book. An "Introduction to Miniature Wargaming" which will cover all the rule sets, companies, well everything to give someone a good idea on how to get started. I plan on covering both in print, and out of print rules. I want to cover as much of the hobby as I can. I may have a price guide section as well, but that may end up being a different book. In other words, I want this to be as comprehensive as I can make possibly make it.<br />
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Of course all my notes are disorganized, and I need to get a list together of all the different rule sets, miniature companies, etc. This won't be easy, because like I said there are so many out there it's almost surreal.<br />
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Anyway, while doing research I discovered this forum... <a href="http://www.bartertown.com/trading/">Bartertown.</a> It appears to be a fairly active forum. If you want to buy, sell, or trade miniatures or other items this might be a good forum to check out.<br />
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For the foreseeable future I plan on posting at least once a week here on the Mayhem of Miniatures.Zanazazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04980968371007703230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479299813943907159.post-70385453867143268622012-01-01T13:45:00.000-08:002012-01-01T13:45:51.211-08:00Witchfate Tor, Tower of Sorcery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s3huQFn1O_Q/TwDMz0HtpjI/AAAAAAAAAUU/6C2ZG28O1nE/s1600/tor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s3huQFn1O_Q/TwDMz0HtpjI/AAAAAAAAAUU/6C2ZG28O1nE/s320/tor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This will be my first big project for 2012. My brother and I visited the Games Workshop store in this area, and he bought it, and then tasked me with assembly and painting. I've been researching the model, and hopefully I won't have the same kind of trouble that some people had, i.e difficulty in assembling the pieces together. I plan on doing a "dry fit assembly" of the floors.<br />
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The model at the store looked great, and can be used in a variety of other miniature games, and not just Warhammer Fantasy. That's what I like most about it. Also, all the floors are separate, and you can place miniatures inside. The price seems a bit steep, at $66 plus tax, but if it goes together well, then it's worth it. Now I need some good glue, and paint...Zanazazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04980968371007703230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479299813943907159.post-81792370746301086532011-12-30T09:39:00.000-08:002011-12-30T09:40:48.162-08:00How Many Zombies......make a zombie horde?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l0NeLpRlnrY/Tv3zxFkF4JI/AAAAAAAAAUI/T-6FB-HBpSg/s1600/zombies.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l0NeLpRlnrY/Tv3zxFkF4JI/AAAAAAAAAUI/T-6FB-HBpSg/s400/zombies.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to enlarge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I'm not sure which number is correct. The box indicates 24 zombies, the text 30? I guess I'll send them an email to find out. Either way, $19.95 is a great price.Zanazazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04980968371007703230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479299813943907159.post-89708015887196330862011-12-27T21:40:00.000-08:002011-12-27T21:50:13.408-08:00Wargames Factory<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I discovered a new miniature company today, <a href="http://www.wargamesfactory.com/Home.htm">Wargames Factory</a>. They sell 28mm scale miniatures, or 1/56th scale. Here's a blurb from their website...</div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wargames Factory is a new company. We specialize in highly detailed, multi-part models in hard plastic. We’ll be releasing historical, science fiction and fantasy figures in a variety of scales.<br />
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Our philosophy is different to most companies. We believe that the best way to be responsive to customer’s interests is to ask our buyers what they’d like to see made, and follow those requests. Wargames Factory is out to change the way you think about miniatures by putting YOU in charge with our <a href="http://www.wargamesfactory.com/league" target="_self">Liberty and Union League </a>program.</span></div></blockquote><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The zombies look awesome. The price seems very good also. For $19.95 you get enough parts to make 30 zombies. That's right 30 zombies, and because there's a multitude of interchangeable parts, they all can be very different. You get 5 sprues with </span><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">28 unique parts per sprue. 936 unique combinations! (Over 1800 if you don't care whether the arm is bare or sleeved!) Do some customization and the zombie possibilities are endless... BRAAAAAIIINSSS!</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">I'll be purchasing a box of zombies soon, and will write a review of them as soon as I can.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">They also have a unique program, click on the Liberty and Union link in the blurb for info, but in a nutshell; if you submit an idea for a certain kind of miniature, and if enough people commit to purchasing them ( the amount needed to make it profitable I guess ), they will make them, and you receive 5 boxes FREE and a $100 Wargames Factory Gift certificate! Very, very cool.</span></span></div>Zanazazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04980968371007703230noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479299813943907159.post-80254188694776035432011-12-24T14:59:00.000-08:002011-12-24T18:31:39.147-08:00Mage Knight: Lancers<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HOOGKhJiLdU/TvZW5bpBAFI/AAAAAAAAATM/CYh-3tzNMqA/s1600/Lancers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HOOGKhJiLdU/TvZW5bpBAFI/AAAAAAAAATM/CYh-3tzNMqA/s320/Lancers.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mage Knight: Lancers</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>The Lancers have been inventoried, but not organized. The Rebellion mini's have been inventoried, and about 90% of them are organized by type into comic bags, which are labeled. It's not an efficient way of organizing them, especially in regards to retrieving mini's for use, but for now it works. I need a better storage method. The next expansion set to be inventoried is Whirlwind. I already have the list entered into an Open Office spreadsheet, so now all I have to do is organize and count them. However, I really don't want to do that until I have a better way of storing them.<br />
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I'm trying to complete sets, so if you stumble upon this blog, I'm open to trading mini's. I'll be posting my trade list as soon as I get it completed. Please send me a message if you are interested.Zanazazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04980968371007703230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479299813943907159.post-25235605107836980002011-12-23T00:54:00.000-08:002011-12-23T00:54:40.277-08:00Miniature Madness... It Begins.What's this blog about? Well, the title says it all. This blog is about miniatures, or more specifically, ones used in gaming, i.e. role playing games, and war gaming. It's probably been almost a decade since I last played anything using miniatures, and even longer since I've even painted any mini's. Well, I'm getting back into the gaming hobby ( albeit slowly ), and mini's are a big part of that. At least for me it is...<br />
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I intend this blog to mainly be a record as I rebuild my miniature collection, and relearn everything I once knew. It will be a project log, a journal of my progress. If people want to read and follow along, and perhaps even participate that would be great, but not necessary.<br />
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Recently, I've been exploring all the different rules for miniature gaming. There are many different rules available, and cover many genres, and scales. The great this is that many are free, and can be downloaded. I don't know how many different rule sets there are, but there are quite a few.<br />
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Another aspect of miniatures is the use of terrain, and I plan on discussing it use, and creation. I really enjoy making terrain, and regret selling what I had built and collected. Oh well, life goes on, and now I can enjoy the process all over again.<br />
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If for some odd reason you decide to follow this blog, I won't be following any sort of set schedule. I plan on posting when the mood strikes me, or when I need to keep track of something.Zanazazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04980968371007703230noreply@blogger.com0