Starships & Steel

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Name Inspiration for Conan Games

This isn't a blog post trying to organize all the names in Conan, but instead provide some links to websites that contain various cultural names from our modern world that can help provide a basis for names from the Hyborian Age for RPG or other games.

I am also including my version of Howard's original map sketch super imposed over Europe so we can more easily see the countries and cultures that were founded on top of Howard's world.

Monday, December 5, 2016

Wagon for a Caravan

Another video entry, this time we are building a cart or wagon!

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Jungle Vegetation: Aquarium plants revisited.

Another look at aquarium plants.

This is my first attempt at a tutorial video hopefully people find it useful....

Blog happenings

It also seems that the name I have chosen for a blog is in use in several other places. So I am contemplating a new name, although I will want to keep the general idea of alliteration as a nod to Dungeons and Dragons and still descriptive having both elements of fantasy and sci-fi.

I am working on a list of ideas.....

Starships & Steel
Ramparts & Rayguns
Lasers & Lances
Portcullis & Plasma

Starships & Steel is the most obvious and would allow for the use of the current logo and video intro.

If anyone reading this has any ideas, drop me a line.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Lights! Camera! ACTION!

I watch a fair bit of YouTube. There is a lot of cool crafters and terrain builders out there with all kinds of ideas. I try and share mine here as best I can. Sometimes I wonder if it would be easier to communicate the ideas and the builds via YouTube like some of the others?

I am tossing around the idea of a companion channel to see how it might work and if it might find an audience. I still have a few things to iron out, but I have started a channel and made an intro video using free assets on the web.

With the new youtube channel, I also created a new banner for this site as well. I hope people think it's cool.

Do we need another YouTube channel on terrain and miniature gaming? Maybe not, but as of right now I have my favorites and those channels plus the others I am subscribed to often don't put out enough content.

Hopefully a little more won't be a big deal.

Anyhow, the fledging channel is available here. I hope to have some content up soon....after I get a microphone. :)

Monday, November 28, 2016

Hither Came Conan. Monolith's Conan Boardgame.

After much anticipation and waiting Conan has finally come to trod my home under his sandaled feet. This weekend there was gigantic mirth as I rolled out my first games of Conan with some of my friends.

We played two of the scenarios: In the Clutches of the Picts and Hunting the Tigress. We had a few growing pains in the first scenario, but were off to a roaring start by the second. In retrospect part of the issue is Monolith referring to a model as a unit.

My brain sees 3 guys moving together as a unit. They see it as 3 units in a group. Other than that most of it was simply looking a few things up and then heroic killing and rescuing.

IN THE CLUTCHES OF THE PICS

Hadrathus opens the hut door and unleashes a lightning storm into the hut killing the 3 Picts inside. Conan and Belit advance and Shevatas advances and unleashes hell with his throwing knives.

The giant snake slithers out of the hut and attempts to end Conan and fails horribly, likewise the Pict hunter also fails to damage Conan. In one fell slash of Conan's sword the snake falls lifeless. Belit moves in and kills the Picts inside the hut. Hadrathus and Belit open the chests in their rooms acquiring treasures

Hyenas race out and attack Hadarthus and inflict a grevious wound before being cut down by Shevatas. More Picts erupt from the huts to kill the Heros.

Hadrathus and Conan move into the Snake hut to find the unconscious Princess. Shevatas is confronted by Zogar Sag and a Pict.

Conan drops most of his equipment, picks up the unconscious Princess and makes his escape. Belit and Shevatas make short work of Zogar Sag and his Pict guard, but with his last force of will Zogar summons 4 more hyenas that burst out of the forest to attack Belit and Shevatas. It is too little too late though, with Zogar's head already in the possession of Shevatas, he easily flees the field with the head.

Our Heros are victorious.

Monday, November 21, 2016

Building Fronts: Part 2

Once we have the building fronts constructed the next thing we need to do is build doors, prime them black and paint them.

Cutting stir sticks to size and using white glue to build them.

Once the doors are glued I reinforce them with some matchsticks.

The wooden doors are glued to a bamboo skewer and once dried inserted into the front and the base, Cut them off flush with the bottom of the base. They should be able to open inwards.

Once you have the fronts assembled, hit them with spray paint or brush them black.

Once painted black, choose your basic colors and paint the walls like plaster and wood or stone or a combination.

Once you have the building fronts built and some corner stones you can assemble them into a city street for your campaigns.

Adventurers are engaged by a a group of city guard,

Corrupt Cliffs

Places of Interest