Recent Painting/Basing

Just some recently finished bits and pieces.

3x Panzer IVs with various gun options.

Plastic, Battlefront Miniatures

Fiat Cr.32 "Chirri" for the Nationalists in Spanish Civil War

1:100 by Minairons

It's a cool piece but a little fiddly to put together.

Goblin Pyros for Pathfinder

Reaper Bones

Crowdfunding Delay Rant

   Am I the only person who is really just fed up with the delays of virtually every Kickstarter / crowdfunding program out there? I have backed or am currently backing seven different games-related Kickstarters. Here's the performance record of those that have funded:

• Blackwater Gulch:  5 months late. 6x over goal. Funded April 15, 2012, Est. delivery June 2102, Actual receipt November 2012.
• Ogre: Designer's Edition: 11 months late. 46x over goal. Funded 5/11/12, Est. Delivery November 2012, Noe promised on 10/19/13.
• Empire of the Dead: Requiem: 2 months late. 18x over goal. Funded 3/26/13, Est. delivery June 2013, Now estimated "end of August and throughout September" 2013.
• Steampunk Cthulhu Playing Cards: 2 months late. 1.5x over goal. Funded 3/19/2013, Est. delivery June 2013, now estimated "within a few days", August 2013.
• 28mm Steampunk Inspired Heavy Weapons & Carriage: 3 months late. 12x over goal. Funded 5/5/13, est. delivery June 2013, partial fulfillment August 2013, remainder (including mine) expected in September.

   5 out of 5 late, so far. One I only donated a dollar, because my funds were otherwise occupied (All Quiet on the Martian Front). The last, the new Space: 1889 rules, is still going on, although it has also surpassed its funding goal bya wide margin. I hope this does not mean it too will be delayed by 2 to 5 months.

   Crowdfunding can be a really great way to get new designs and ideas and toys produced that might not otherwise ever see the light of day, and that is a great thing. But something is going terribly wrong when so many projects are delayed significantly. And I think I know where the problem is: stretch goals.

   Yep, the stretch goals. While they are undoubtedly very cool, they are also additional work for the creators. This work takes additional time, obviously. And when the creators just go nuts with the extras because of an overwhelming response to the project (like, say, Ogre, or EotD:R), then you get a significant delay in shipping out product. So, that's the problem. What's the solution?

   I see two options. Option 1 is just not to do stretch goals. While this may mean fewer backers (we all like the extra goodies, I am no exception to that), it should mean fewer excuses - er, reasons - for delays. Option 2 is what I would prefer to see happen: finish and ship the original project as soon as possible, then send the extras along in a reasonable time frame. And define that time frame with each stretch goal. For example: "Stretch Goal $300K: Solid Gold Widgets to replace the Original Cardstock Widgets - two months after delivery." So we can get started, and then get the extras later; after all, being extras, they aren't integral to the product, right?

Okay, /rant.

Store Report: The Game Closet

The Game Closet

3122 Franklin Avenue

Waco, TX

254-751-7251

   Whilst in Waco, visiting Baylor University as a prelude to my eldest's impending college departure (only one more year!), I followed up on my habit of checking into the local gaming scene when possible. In this case, a quick internet search brought me to the door of The Game Closet. I duly spent an hour on the premises during the day on a Monday. Granted, this was during the summer, so I expect that one or two of the patrons (there were five there, other than the owner, who I shall mention momentarily, the entire time I was present) would probably not have been there had it been a school day. Besides the five 'regulars' and myself, two other men came and left in the space of time I was there. So, a fairly busy place, I would say. The regulars were playing and discussing and organizing their Magic: The Gathering card games. Two of them were friendly enough to say "hi" as I walked through the play area to the sales display area of the store.

   Layout of the store was pretty good, with an ample space for playing games, available terrain for wargamers, that sort of thing. It was all well-lit, and the a/c worked well - this is critical in Texas summer heat, folks. I would say about a 50-50 split in gaming to retail area. The retail area carried a large amount of Games Workshop product (no surprise), but also a good selection of Reaper, Warmachine and Hordes from Privateer Press, and less-well-known games (Malifaux, for example). In addition, there were a few bookshelves dedicated to RPGs, mostly the standards (D&D, GURPS) but also again some of the more uncommon as well (WFRP). There was s section of board games (pretty wide selection there) and the ubiquitous CCGs in display cases. I'm not knocking this practice - it makes the stores some much-needed bread and butter money. Just not really my cup of tea, that's all.

   I looked around for a few minutes before I was approached by Dequan Watson, the owner. Dequan was really nice to talk to, and had a lot of knowledge about the gaming industry, it seemed. In fact, he related to me something I had not heard previously: that it appears Citadel was abandoning Crapcast, er, Finecast that is, and returning to plastics. Good news, that. We talked a little bit about how business was in Waco, how long the store had been open (as a child, I spent a  lot of time in Waco, and the store was not open back then), that sort of thing. He also mentioned that the store was helping to sponsor a convention in Waco on the last weekend in September. I think I might have to return for that! The store hosts other events on a weekly basis as well, including Magic tournaments, Warhammer nights, painting nights, D&D roleplaying nights, and more. They keep a schedule on their website.

   Overall, I give The Game Closet a solid "A" rating. The only thing I can say would improve the store would be additional space and inventory. This, however, is a function of business volume, and so can't be held against them. If you live in the area, it's definitely worth checking out.

"A"

Reaper Minis again...

  Even though I do not buy many of their miniatures currently, I think that Reaper is putting out some very good stuff. While bouncing around their website this afternoon, I found these, and thought I would share.

   Talk about dynamic posing?!?! My PCs don't often come across owlbears, but if you like them (and I do!), I haven't seen one any better than this one.

   I can't decide about this one. Is he really Victorian Sci-Fi ("steampunk" if you prefer)? He may be an alternate timeline, but I am thinking too modernist for VSF. Nice fig, though. Kind of makes me think of Captain Mal Reynolds.

  These fellows remind me of the little gliding monkeys in X1: The Isle of Dread. Phanatons, that's it. Except for the totla lack of a gliding membrane. So maybe not so much. But swarms of them would be fun. I am thinking they might pop up on Venus in my VSF games, eventually. I have got to get done with the lizards and parrotmen and Mushroom men first.

   This figure just screams "archetype of thief, human, female". Pardon me, not thief: rogue. Remember your terminology, James.

That's all for right now. Need to make some dinner for the family and the girlfriend (s?).