Planetfall - Relthoza Paint Scheme

I decided to start painting my Relthoza faction for Planetfall, a game from the defunct Spartan Games company. The license is now owned by Warcradle. I can use these models for roleplaying and other miniature games too, like Horizon Wars/Hard War. After I finished the these Namisc Light Walkers with the paint scheme I was quite satisfied by the result, which is close to the studio paint scheme. I also decided I will redo my Firestorm Armada Relthoza ships with this paint scheme too.

Primed black with rough coat of Folk Art Green Forest.

Dry brush of DecoArt Hunter Green and lighter dry brush of DecoArt Citrus Green. Next time I will skip the Citrus Green. Then detail of Craftsmart Plum.

Light brush of Craftsmart Pink Blossom on the Plum and highlight of Color Factory Sky Blue on the engine exhaust/weapon system.

Base painted DecoArt Burnt Umber and drybrushed DecoArt Yellow. Put a little Necrotite Green lightly drybrushed on to brighten the edges, which I will use to replace the step with the Citrus Green above.

Next for this game and faction are the boxes of helixes (groups of units) that were made for this game.

d20 Call of Cthulhu

Published in 2001, d20 Call of Cthulhu was made to bring the Cthulhu mythos using the D&D 3rd edition, as well as introduce a modern setting spin using 3rd edition ruleset. This book was made before d20 Modern was published, by a year, but content in it is perfectly usable for d20 Modern.

The modern, 1920's and current eras, uses an early version of d20 Modern. The main guts are the 3rd edition of the Dungeons and Dragons ruleset. Sections on sanity, magic, creatures, the Cthulhu mythos, gamemaster hints, and adventures can be used for modern and D&D settings. To make it easier there is a section in the appendix to run Lovecraftian D&D campaigns which could be quite a fun story.

I hadn't looked at this book since I bought it used but with the Call of Cthulhu RPG books I have been reading I thought I would have a look see. It holds up and is a great setting resource.

Delta Green - Pagan Press d20 Edition

Delta Green is a role playing game utilizing the Cthulhu mythos, as used in Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu line of games, but set in the 1990's to the present day. The original edition of this game, the one I talk about here, was made by Pagan Publishing and made from 1997 to 2010. A newer edition made by Arc Dream Publishing, although Pagan and Arc Dream collaborated on some products before Arc Dream took over, has been in existence since 2016 and continues to this day. This edition is the 2007 edition of the original rulebook with added stats for utilizing the book for the d20 system, but still has the stats for the original Call of Cthulhu edition made in 1997.

This role playing game deservedly won many awards. It takes the conspiracy laden setting of the 1990's with an overlay of creepy aliens with players fighting a secret conflict against beings from other worlds and a self-serving USA government agency. Think of X-Files and the Cthulhu mythos mixed together. The history is very well written and suitably creepy with many layers of possibilities for great storytelling and roleplaying. The multitude of possible antagonists, both beatable and not, are given multiple ways to use in a campaign.

One of the main antagonists is Majestic-12, a secret USA government agency that are self-regulating and in charge of dealing with the alien "greys" while making sure the public is unaware of their existence. They even go so far as to use any means to cover up "grey" or MJ-12 activities. In return the organization gains access to "greys" technology and knowledge, sometimes for personal use and profit. The "greys" are also a main antagonist with their own agendas.

One of the other minor antagonists are the Karotechia. They are mythos magic wielding remnants of the WW2 German Nazi regime and each of the three leaders have very different utilizations of that magic. They are a perfect use of an enemy of the players that is obviously evil and bad as a counterpoint to the initially ambiguousness of the two main antagonists.

The handouts are very well done for the adventures provided in the book. There is also advice on how to make your own including keyword usage to make them more authentic. The adventures themselves are impressive in how they reveal the under arching presence of the Cthuluhu mythos, as secret operatives of Delta Green.

There is a robust section on all of the government agencies of the USA that can help the game master use them in game sessions.

The original Call of Cthulhu game is set in the 1920's. The table of weapons is important for combat in the modern day, not that they would work against the big bads of the mythos.

Overall a great setting and lots of information can be used for any modern game day with a touch of the otherworldly and creepy.

Call of Cthulhu Starter Set

I played Call of Cthulhu for the first time in the early 80's. I was interested in the creatures and 1920's setting, but we were all teenagers and didn't know much about the setting or H.P. Lovecraft mythos. I read more of the mythos stories in my later teenage years and found they were ok but oddly written.

Fast forward to a few years ago and the game group I am in played a one-shot adventure around Halloween. Now that I was older, and have re-read many of the stories again, enjoyed it a lot more. Our roleplaying abilities have also increased since then so it was a better experience.

Almost two years back I saw the new seventh edition of the game in starter box format for $25 in my local game store and had it sit on my "to read" shelf until recently. After reading the rules and playing through the solo game included, "Alone Against The Flames", I am super happy with it. It has always been made by Chaosium.

Like most of the new starter boxes it has a lot in it and is a great way to see if you and your group like this RPG.

You do not read through the Introductory rulebook before you play the solo game. Moments in "Alone Against The Flames" will have you learn the basics and refer to the introductory rulebook. It is also a good way for a group to learn by passing around the book so everyone can try it out over a few weeks. The adventure itself is neither too easy nor too hard but does have players learn the do's and don't of playing in a world of the Cthulhu mythos.

The intro rules are enough to dive a little deeper into the mechanics of the game. I like the changes that were made from the last time I played so long ago but it will still be familiar to players of previous editions.

I only briefly looked through this booklet in case one of my gaming friends wanted to run any of them. There are three short adventures in here with maps and handouts.

Here is one of the handouts.

Overall I give this starter box two tentacles up!

5E Adventures in Middle-Earth

I picked these up a few years back; the Adventures in Middle-Earth 5E rulebooks from Cubicle 7. Published in 2011 it stopped production of material due to contractual disputes and shortly thereafter Free League got the license, which produced the new edition of the One Ring RPG. Of the products made, I only got the players and loremaster guides. For all of the Cubicle 7 5e Middle-Earth products go here.

The main book, like the first edition of One Ring, it takes place East of the main mountain range where Bree, Moria, and Shelob lie. 

Like the One Ring RPG, the player creation has a major influence on your role with enough variability as other RPGs.

Classes are similar enough to One Ring while bridging the gap with 5e classes.

The Journey's section is my favorite and a much better travel ruleset than any I have seen, which mimics the One Ring journey rules. It makes for a more authentic method of getting from place to place.

Otherwise it has the elements of a game set in Middle-Earth. It is not as thematic as One Ring but does a great job as a low magic and generational game setting.

Products in this line are sometimes incredibly expensive because of their low print run and high demand. So if you want more story and character driven roleplaying for your 5e setting you are in good hands with these products.

Marvel Champions - Cycle 1

As detailed in my previous Marvel Champions post of the core set, this game is extremely variable. Part of the fun it trying new combinations of heroes, aspects and basic cards, villains, modular encounters, and basic/expert modes. I had a lot of fun trying out these new heroes and villain packs. 

First I will go over the villain packs then the hero packs, in this cycle.

Green Goblin Scenario Pack: This is a must get set because of the variability of this set. Comes with two villains (Risky Business/Green Goblin and Mutagen Formula/Greener Goblin) and four modular encounters (Goblin Gimmicks, Mess of Things/Scorpion, Power Drain/Electro, Running Interference). The Risky Business, or basic Green Goblin, has a scheming Norman Osbourne trying to take over Stark Enterprise while expanding his criminal empire. Eventually the Green Goblin personality will take over Norman and start attacking the heroes but in short order he will fade away and Norman will be back. This is a very interesting villain to overcome and requires adapting quickly to the changes because all damage to Norman is taken off of his Criminal Enterprise card. Once the card is empty, it is flipped over to the madness side and the Norman card is flipped to the Green Goblin side. Those with the  Leadership aspect and/or high ally use will suffer from the bombs that Green Goblin uses when he changes or with specific encounter cards. Its not overly hard just clever. Mutagen Formula has LOTS of minions that Green Goblin uses as he unleashes his goblin gas on the city. Because of the several cards that increase threat on the main scheme based on the number of goblin cards in play, you cannot ignore the minions. The problem is that many of them are quite tough which makes this villain tough to beat.

The modular encounters are interesting. Goblin Gimmicks are your glider and bombs that the Green Goblin uses but are quite amusing when attached to Rhino or other villains. Mess of Things/Scorpion has lots of stun affects which can delay heroes from going after the main villain or minions. Power Drain/Electro is all about running the deck out and causing multiple hero damage. Running Interference forces the hero to either not be able to change forms or keep them in their alter-ego form.

Both Spider-Man and She Hulk were tried out against Risky Business and Goblin Gimmicks. Black Panther tried Mutagen Formula with Goblin Gimmicks and couldn't quite get it but Spider-Man could after two attempts.

Wrecking Crew: This is an odd set. All four of the Wrecking Crew are on the table at the start and because they are breaking out of prison the cards are appropriately themed. You have to really keep an eye on the main scheme and try to ignore each villain's side schemes, as annoying as they are because they have various debilitating effects. The problem with this set is that the villains are predictable and with some foresight are easy to beat. They are good to test a hero's ability to solo beat multiple elite enemies but this set does not have to be a must buy.

Captain America: A great all around hero deck that did it well. Would make a great deck for players starting out. Also good to switch to alter-ego at times to make allies cheaper and use Steve's Apartment card. 

Ms. Marvel: Not a good solo deck as it failed three times vs Rhino/Bomb Scare. However in a game of two hero/one handed (see end of post) with Captain Marvel was perfectly fine. 

Thor: Also not a good solo deck and failed three times vs Rhino/Bomb Scare. In two games of two hero/one handed with She Hulk vs Rhino did just fine.

Black Widow: Like Captain America, a perfect deck out of the box. It is a must to switch between alter-ego and hero often to take advantage of special abilities. 

Doctor Strange: The special spell deck can make or break the bonus mustard it brings to the table but the entire deck rarely disappoints for flair. Will need to change to alter-ego often to recover hit points. A good toolbox for multiplayer play too.

Hulk: This deck is a little one note and although I won most solo games, a couple of bad rounds is brutal for Hulk. Lack of dependable thwart means this deck is best in multiplayer games.

There are two fan made items of note: Spider-Man Origins and Two-Hero/One Deck.

-Spider-Man Origins Campaign: This nine game journey, using the core box and Green Goblin set, takes Peter Parker from just starting out to defeating Green Goblin in the Mutagen Formula deck. There are options to change up the deck with choices as each game makes Spider-Man better or with advantages, if you win a game. https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/227361/spiderman-origins-campaign-green-goblin-and-core-b 

-Solo Team Up: A cool way to play 2-4 hero games in solo mode and see where solo hindered decks can shine. Also will be fun to try traditional and unusual team-ups.   https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/190714/marvel-champions-team-two-hero-one-handed-variant 

Rangers of Shadowdeep

Like the game designer Joseph A McCullough's Frostgrave, Rangers of Shadowdeep has scenarios that the players go through in order to gain experience and uncover resources. Though in this game the players are cooperating with their own groups and are uncovering clues to defeat a big evil spreading across the land. 

The rules for creating your band's leader, always a ranger, are very similar to Frostgrave. You can have alterations though: magic wielding, melee focused, bow focused, etc. 

There are enough scenarios to get you going and wanting more. There have been many new ones produced are are available at many places, including the author's website.

Once I finish my Frostgrave solo game through all 20 scenarios, I will give this a try. There are lots of fan made extras on BoardGameGeek, official miniatures at North Star Figures but you can use any minis, can get more scenario packs from the game designer at his website or DriveThruRPG.

Other Half of Mantic's Wizard's Study

 Some time ago I painted several bookcases for terrain, in particular in my Frostgrave games. Now I have finished the Wizard's Study remaining items. They are made by Mantic in their Terraincrate line and were painted with cheap paints with some Privateer Press paints.