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Roolz

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  1. Hi, I'm requesting playtesting feedback for this 3-player solo/coop scenario. It requires King Pledge & Stygia. Conan-The_gem_of_Natohk_20220219.pdf It works a bit like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, with puzzles to solve and whatnot, and uses tiny details actually printed on the board. The intent is to have more immersion, it's fairly different from your average scenario. Spelling errors, typos, etc.? Clarity? Interest? Too difficult/easy? Just let me know. [Edit] The file above is now obsolete. This scenario has been fine-tuned, and included in the "Tales of the South" book, there: https://the-overlord.net/index.php?/topic/46490-tales-of-the-south-special-edition/
  2. Roolz

    Compendium 2 EN

    In case it might be of use : when I print it in "real size" (i.e. not "fit to page") the crop marks & bleed margins are automatically removed.
  3. Review: Dry Brush for miniature painting (RedGrass Games) + Review of Wet Palette, Brushes, and Handle after year(s) of use Before, I typically posted my reviews on FB, but now FB is crappy for anything text-heavy. So I post it here, it's more convenient :). Last year, Redgrass Games graciously sent me their drybrush, that they added to their regular #2 and #00 brushes product line. I hadn’t time to write a proper review, so here it is. Drybrushing is often (and wrongly) considered as a beginner/fast/easy technique. Like all techniques, it isn’t suited to all cases, and it takes practice to master (some experienced painters achieve jaw-dropping blends using drybrushing). And if you use a shitty brush, don’t expect stellar results. I’ll also write a little about their previous products that I regularly use, namely the Wet Palette, the #2 and #00 Brushes, and the Handle 360 V2. I reviewed them « long » ago (1 ½ to 3 ½ years), so I figured it might be of interest to see if they stood the test of time. Disclaimer: The following is my point of view and therefore does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the rest of the universe. Part 1: Review of Dry Brush for miniature painting Unpacking the stuff Redgrass drybrush comes in one size, on the “small” end of the spectrum for similar brushes. It’s delivered in transparent pouch, with a small tube fitted over the bristle. Perceived quality is fine, same as the regular brushes. The handle is painted in metallic red, the ferrule is in black metal. It’s a rectangular & flat shaped synthetic brush (acrylic hair). Most of the drybrushing work does not require natural hair (see later on). Brand new. Using the stuff I used it on several minis during the last 6 months. Not on all the dudes I painted, but quite a bit of them. I tend to drybrush less than before, but it’s a technique that I still use regularly, with a variety of different brushes. As written above, the brush is rather small. So, mostly for miniatures. Though, for scenery and large models (vehicles etc), it can be handy on small areas. The bristle’s flat shape allows to use it on its larger side, or on its smaller side (for smaller areas of the mini). The hair is thin, it allows to achieve fairly smooth blends. Most important feature for a drybrush. The overall resistance is also good, on the higher end of the spectrum (see after). This is an important feature. Drybrushing takes a heavy toll of the brush, so it can lose its shape quite fast. Plus, I paint often and don’t take super care of my brushes... Comparison with others dry brushes I believe I used all kinds of drybrushes over the years: Dedicated drybrushes for miniatures, craft strore brushes, old brushes that I cut off, make-up brushes... They all have their advantages and drawbacks. In the picture hereunder, a sample of what I use at the moment (I have several others). From bottom to top : Redgrass, Army Painter (Small), AK interactive, Makeup (small, brand unknown), Raphael (old 8404 size 0, cut-off). Various drybrushes after about 6 months of use. The Redgrass is a bit deformed, and hair is worn. But not too much. Not as good as day 1, not as flat, but still useable after several months. The AP is a tad more deformed, and hair is worn. Still useable, though. Note that AP have a bevelled shape (i.e. not rectangular), but at this stage of wear/deformation, the bevelled shape is basically useless, and the brush is not as flat as on day 1. The AK is more deformed too, and hair is more worn. Still useable, but less than the RGG & AP. AK’s hair are shorter than RRG and AP, so the paint goes quicker in the ferrule, I guess that didn’t help. The other two are not really comparable to synthetic brushes, but here’s a few words on them: The Makeup brush is a bit deformed, and hair is a bit worn. But I’ve used it much less than the previous 3. Makeup brushes have natural hair (finer), so they allow smoother blends than synthetics. But they’re typically much more fragile. I only use them when relevant, to keep them a bit longer. Note that there are some dedicated drybrushes with natural hair, but they’re priced quite higher that dedicated synthetic or generic makeup. The Raphael is still fine, so to say (it had already seen many minis before I cut off the tip). I’ve also used it much less, since it’s only relevant for very small areas. At this moment I’d say that, looking at the 3 similar dedicated drybrushes (RGG, AP, AK): RGG comes first, AP close second, and AK third. Conclusion Redgrass Games dry brush is a good robust one, I can recommend it. It allows to do the bulk of the drybrushing work in most cases. Or all cases, depends on what and how you paint: You might need a larger one for scenery and large models, a smaller one for very small areas, and a natural one for advanced work. Part 2: Review of RGG Wet Palette, Brushes, and Handle after year(s) of use I’ve been using these continuously and intensively since I have them. Less that a full-time pro (it’s a hobby), but I paint quite often, typically several times per week, on evenings and weekends. Wet Palette original review here. I’ve been using it since mid-2018 (I backed their first Kickstarter). So thats’ been 3 1/2 years! I add water in-between (and during) sessions, wash the box and the foam with dishwasher liquid from time to time (perhaps once a month). Basically, I never keep it dry, except when I’m on vacation far from home (a few weeks per year). There's white marks on the top of the lid, after an accident due to a resin leakage that glued paper on it. Never been able to remove the paper remnants. Lesson: When using synthetic water, sealing is of utmost importance. That shit goes everywhere and is rock solid once cured. I believe that ther are also marks du to acetone spill. That poor lid has suffered. See 1st picture above (the one with the new drybrush). One can see the traces of abuse. The lid’s seal has some blacks marks on it. Not been able to remove. They appeared after 2+ years of use. I believe it’s mould (fungi) that grew in the rubber’s pores due to the constant moisture. No smell whatsoever. Seal is still functional and does its job of limiting the water evaporation when the lid is closed. I tried everything to remove these dark spots, except Clearasil. The foam is still the original one. It’s stained, but perfectly functional (I have a 2nd spare foam, still brand new). No smell either (though in that case it would be due to bacteria, not fungi). Since tap water quality can vary greatly from one place to another (bacterial load, hardness, and whatnot) ; consider washing the foam more often and/or using filtered water, and/or add a piece of copper, in case of not-so-good tap water quality. Like men's 3rd laundry pile : "Dirty but wearable" Same conclusions as in my original review. The foam even lasted much more than I thought. Note that RGG have released a new version of the wet palette, but I’m happy with this one, I don’t need another. Brushes #2 and #00 original review here. I’ve been using them since end-2018. A bit more than 3 years. I’ve worn several of them, of course. That’s what happens when you paint often, whatever the brush’s brand. Only diamonds are forever. After ruining several brushes, I’d say that on the long run a RGG #2 seems to wear a bit faster than a Raphael 8404 #2, and a RGG #00 seem to wear a bit slower than the Raphael #00. But that’s close., its more a feeling that anything else (I would have had to note precisely when I used this or that brush). No picture, but everybody knows what a ruined brush looks like. My original preference has also been confirmed: I tend to use more the Raph 8404 in size #2, and more the RGG in size #00. But that’s a matter of personal taste. Basically, same conclusions as in my original review. Handle 360 V2 original review here (in french). I’ve been using it since mid-2020. 1 1/2 years. "In space, no one can hear you scream." As you can see, there’s paint all over it (I used it when priming and never cared to clean it). The orange putty is dirty but useable. I believe I’ve changed it once or twice since the beginning, so it’s definitely durable. I still have spare orange putty, brand new, somewhere. The rotating cap is not the original. It’s a custom one that I designed and 3D-printed. Wider, flared, to prevent my fingers from touching the mini’s base (I mentioned it in my original review). I prefer my custom-made cap, but others might find it inconvenient (depending on hand size, grip, and whatnot). Here again, basically same conclusions as in my original review. Although, with my custom cap, I use it more than I thought at first. It has become one of my 2 favourite handles (the other one is the Large Rathcore). Roolz, 03 february 2022
  4. If I'm correct, Thotmekri /Xaltotun just can't move but, can do all the rest (i.e cast spells).
  5. The printed versions are not available any more, but they're downloadable here as pdf. Just click "Compendiums" on the top menu (the Overlord magazine was formerly named Compendium).
  6. Roolz

    Compendium 4 EN

    2nd hand. Or use a printing service to have the files professionally printed & bound.
  7. Well, the Circular Strike stuff is somewhat off-topic with your original question (i.e. "Kushite Hunters scenario unwinnable for heroes"): since players can choose their heroes, it's possible that none of them has Circular Strike (or the required 2-handed weapon)! That being said, about Circular Strike vs. Sacrifice, there's been some discussion on the French side of the forum, in 2017. Everyone agreed that remaining damage went to the other dudes, but there was disagreement about the detailed sequence of who does what . So a -now former- member of Monolith gave an official answer, which I translate hereunder (fell free to copy-paste it in the rules section on this side of the forum): #1: Hero with Circular Strike declares that he will use this skill, #2: Hero declares his target and the number of gems he will use for this action, #3: OL declares the mini that will be Sacrificed, #4: Hero rolls dice (= X successes), #5: The sacrificed mini dies (= successes - (armor+ life points)), #6: If there is any remaining damage, Hero announces his new target (it can be the same as in #2), #7: OL declares the mini that will be Sacrificed (if there are others with this skill in the area), #8: The sacrificed mini dies (= successes - (armor+ life points)), #9: Back to #6... (and as long as there is remaining damage). Practically, it still costs the Hero an awful lot of gems when the OL has several sacrifice-able dudes (and if OL can bring reinforcements, the main target is almost un-killable, I've experienced it firsthand). Edit: in the Kushite Hunters scenario, a Circular Strike hero would have to roll a total of 24 successes (=8*(2+1)) to kill all Bossonian guards before even thinking of hurting the boss.
  8. Disclaimer : I haven't played this campaign yet, only helped proofreading the FR version. For what it's worth, here's how I interpret the section: #1- One hero can search any room, by performing a complex manipulation, difficulty 1. Lock-picking skill not allowed. Thieves' tools (custom equipment at the end of the booklet) not allowed. By the way, the Lockpicking kit in scenario 1 should read Thieves' tools. Everything else allowed, including adding dice up to exertion limit, and reroll. #2- If the roll succeeds, the secret passage is here ; if not, heroes have to search another room. Not sure I fully understand the above, but that's how I play Sacrifice : With a regular attack, one single dude can absorb all damage of said attack, indeed. But if one of the heroes has Circular Strike skill, he can kill several dudes with 1 attack, even if they have Sacrifice (remaining damage still goes to another dude after the sacrificed one). Area attacks (Lighting storm, Explosive orb, etc) work as well. Maybe it could helps killing the guards & archers faster ?
  9. @Finbar I’d suggest you ask questions directly here, answers might be useful to others 😊
  10. Check the Studio section of the Conan companion app/website. It contains tools to create easily custom hero sheets and whatnot. Link to Companion: https://the-overlord.com/Companion/Conan/#maps Topic with details: https://the-overlord.net/index.php?/topic/756-companion-application-for-conan/
  11. In case it might be of use : After the 1st Conan KS, several small companies designed and sold laser-cut acrylic overlays for Conan hero sheets. You can most probably still find them online (I know that a french manufacturer still offers them, I don't know for the others). They were more expensive than the cardboard ones in the last Conan Conqueror KS, of course.
  12. I know there's a Batman version planned, but the work on it started very recently :).
  13. Indeed. Basically, all adhesives are weaker on the sides (shear strength), some more than others. And it highly depends on the surfaces and materials.
  14. Depends on the mini and base. If the contact surface is large enough versus mini's size and weight, superglue is generally strong enough for gaming. For example, if you glue a plastic mini of a human with its 2 feet on the ground, it generally holds. If not, it's safer to pin the mini to be base before glueing. Same example as the above with a metal mini, or a plastic mini with just one foot on the ground. Pinning can also be necessary if the base is heavier than the mini itself. For example when you weigh the base with a fairly heavy coin/washer. In the case of transparent acrylic bases, pinning is generally an issue, you just have to rely on glue. But it generally holds because the surface is very flat and smooth (=good adhesion), and plastic minis are lightweight. Luckily, until now I only had 1 plastic mini that detached from an acrylic base (I used too little glue, so I had to re-glue it).
  15. V2 supersedes the previous one. See page 2 for list of changes.
  16. In this scenario, tentacles activation is handled by Thaug "Dagon's attack" spell. He can use the spell (=move and attack with a tentacle) as long as he has red gems. Pirates (or any character with swim skill) can get back into a ship by paying 1 extra gem (as indicated in the swim skill description).
  17. IIRC the tentacles were in the Barbarian pledge. So you should have their tiles somewhere.
  18. A3 is 2xA4 so if you don't have access to an A3 printer, you have to split the page in two, then print & glue. This can be done via Acrobat (not Reader though), image editors (such as Photoshop), and there are also several online tools (google "split pdf a3 to a4").
  19. I've done a similar step-by-step of Conan's pirates a couple years ago. It should be in the Conan painting subforum. But I don't have more Conan dudes to paint in my short-term to-do-list (though I still have a ton to paint). And yes, writing a detailed step-by-step is definitely time consuming :).
  20. Note : Same principle as the tutos "Glaak!" (brutes with firearm) and “Crack! (brutes with chains). KKRRKKK ! – Painting of Clayface disguised as Wrath Foreword The goal of this tutorial is to paint Clayface disguised as Wrath to a higher standard than the goons. Welcome stranger, but if you intend to paint this mini in 1 hour, move along and never come back. As usual, I use as references the coloured 3D rendering of the miniature and the comics drawings. Okay… the coloured render is not overly helpful. So I dig out Dectective Comics #22 (and following ones) to scrutinize the dude. Hereunder are only 2 pages, but I used many more. References and documentation is very important when painting, drawing, and other similar activities. It plays an integral part in the process. Now these are better references. And we know that when Wrath crushes his sidekick’s head, it makes a KKRRKKK noise. Ouch. The art shows that there are armor pieces (grey-black), cloth/fabric (grey-black too, but darker), lights (yellow-orange), and some kind of brownish shaytes. One of the goals will be to differentiate the materials while using similar hues (grey-black), this is not particularly easy, I’ll see at the end if I succeed or not (or half). But what are these brown shaytes ? Burr walnut plates? The dude must have bought his armor from Rover or Jaguar, for sure. Back to google to search for references. And I find the character’s concept sketch. "Military camouflage" written near the left arm. OK, burr walnut seemed a tad unappropriate for hand-to-hand combat. Now I know where I’m going. Note : The step-by-step pictures look very blue overall, it’s due to the camera’s auto-settings. The final picture is more true to the reality. Paint ranges As usual, see the other tutos. Sequence 1- Deburring, washing, then spray-prime. See the other tutos. Here, I prime with a grey can (Unifom Grey AP, it’s a slightly blueish grey). 2- Shadows, dark grey wash everywhere (Dark Grey VM 994). 2 washes, go get an homogeneous result. 3- Shadows, black wash everywhere (Black Ink VG 094). A 1st wash everywhere, heavily diluted ; then several other washes in shadow areas, deepest recesses, and cloth surfaces (cape, thighs, bags, etc.). 4- Highlights, dark grey (Dark Grey VM 994). I start by a light-handed drybrush everywhere, then a second drybrush focussed on the lighter areas. Then some blending, to smoothen the surfaces and push a bit more the highlights. And now you’d tell me that there’s not much difference with the previous step. But there is, particularly on the cape. It’s subtle indeed, because there’s not much luminosity gap between black and dark grey. Maybe I could have skipped this step. But since I’m not 200% confident regarding how I’ll handle materials differentiation, I prefer progressing little by little instead of messing up and re-doing everything. As a general rule, in case of doubt, always try to proceed so that you can correct & adjust easily later on. 5- Highlights, medium blueish grey (Russ Grey GW), on the armor plates. I do a very-light-handed drybrush where I can and have access to (like, the head and the shoulders). It takes 1 minute tops. Then, the serious work: doing blends, then highlighting edges with the side of the brush. It definitely doesn’t take 1 minute, you need to repeat, and so on… On several of the reference drawings, the "W" on the torso is darker than the rest. I decide to not follow the references, and paint it like the rest. For 3 reasons: First, I won’t bust my balls over it ; second, the mini should still be visually “readable” ; and third I’ll still be able to repaint it easily at the end if need be. There again, always aim for easy correction, yadda, yadda. 6- Another armor plates highlight, using very light blueish grey (Pale Blue Grey VM907). Here, I only highlight the edges that catch the light most. I repeat where needed. 7- Let’s start the camo plates with a basecoat of light yellowish brown (Tan Yellow VM912). Several layers are required to get enough opacity and homogeneity, especially on the dark base we have here. 8- Continuing the camo. Spots of medium brown (Flat Earth VM983), then spots of dark brown (Brunt umber VM941), then some spots –not too many- of black (Black AP). 9- Still continuing the camo. I find it a bit too bright compared to the comics, so I glaze it with a ready-to-use dark brown wash (Agrax Earthshade GW). I re-use the same wash, but locally, only in the areas interfacing with the other elements (under the grey elbow plates, under the thighs’ pouches, under the pecs). The wash gives a satin look to the surfaces, that will disappear after the final matte varnish (I’ll decide at the end whether I re-varnish the plates in satin or not). 10- End of the camo. Highlights in beige / bone (Bone white VG 034). As for the grey armor plates, I only highlight the edges that catch the light most, and repeat where needed. At this point, I’m not overly happy with how the camo looks, but I’m fed up. Sometimes, you need to just stop. And there are several « big » things remaining that will impact the mini’s perception. 11- Beginning of the armor’s « lights ». I start with basecoats of un-diluted bright orange (Deep Orange VG 851), on the easily accessible areas (=raised areas). On the recessed areas, I apply diluted paint, capillarity will make it fill the sculpt. Of course, you have to repeat quite a bit of times to ensure opacity on this very dark base. 12- Continuing the « lights », by painting bright yellow (Deep Yellow VM 915) in the center of the orange surfaces. Here, I need my super-pointy brush... I mess up at places and put too much yellow (unavoidable, my hands are not steady enough), but I correct with diluted orange paint, applied locally. 13- End of the « lights », with some micro-dots of pure white (White VM 951) in the center of the yellow. Not on all “lights”, only on the eyes and on the torso thingies. Here, I need my super-pointy brush AND my magnifying goggles (too old for this shit, as Danny Glover said). These last dots make the “lights” pop a bit more. 14- Let’s start highlighting the fabric/cloth parts (cape, bags, boots, etc). First, I do blends using slightly blueish grey (Unifom Grey AP, same as the primer, but in pot), then the last highlights with blends of neutral light grey (Light Grey VM990). This step is looong… To try and differentiate the hues and materials, they greys I used here are more neutral (less blueish) that the greys on the armor plates. And I decide to keep these areas as « black looking » as possible, to raise the contrast with the armor plates. Which means the highlights are done on smaller surfaces. You can push the highlights very far (even up to white) on a black overall look, but you have to do it on small surfaces, otherwise it will look grey. 15- End of the cloth parts. At this moment, I feel that something is missing there. So I do the “dark-red-gives-depth-to-black” trick. Which means local washes or brownish red (Cavalry brown VM982) in some creases and recesses of the cloth/fabric parts. I take a risk, by going further away from the comics’ art. But worst case scenario, if it looks crappy, these local washes will be easy to cover it with pure black and I’ll think about a plan B. 16 - 17 - The dark red trick ends up looking okay. Let’s work on the few metal parts : gun in the back, grenades on the ribs, and belt buckle. I previously painted the belt buckle in grey (same as armor plates), but now I think to myself that it will look better in metal, and I just have to paint around the orange “light”, it will be easy. So : Basecoats with dark metallic grey (Gun grey VMAir072). On the gun, a couple of black washes (Black ink VG094). Then a few last highlights / dots with very light metallic grey (Chrome VMAir064). I highlight the gun’s handle with a blend of neutral light grey (Light Grey VM990). 18- And the base. Exact same method as for the other dudes. 19 - I liven up the base a bit with a torn and stained poster (my file is available in the dowloads section, if need be), and spray everything with matte varnish. I decide not to put satin varnish on the camo plates, I’m afraid it might draw too much attention compared to the orange “lights”. And new pictures with a decent light and truer colours. KKRRKKK in your face, sidekick !
  21. Indeed, heroes can move the ship maximum 2 times per turn in this scenario. However, it's theoretical : It would mean that heroes manage to have a majority of minis on 2 different control areas during the same turn, and I think it's quite difficult (or at least, less optimal than killing some enemy pirates, recruiting others, while moving the ship little by little).
  22. Not as far as I know. I believe most buildings in Batman are are too big to be made only with 3D printing. User Biohazard (on the french side) has designed and built several 3D maps (IIRC: crime alley, subway, ace chemicals). He designed laser-cut buildings and 3D-printed furniture, and used other commercially available elements. His topic is here : https://the-overlord.com/index.php?/topic/2117-wip-plateaux-de-jeu-en-volume-un-autre/ (in french but goodle trad will help) His files, pictures, etc. are downloadable there : http://www.biohazard.tv/batman/
  23. I've re-based all my Conan painted minis with clear acrylic bases, to solve the issue of "visual consistency with the boards". However, re-basing with acrylic takes almost as long as doing a regular textured base. I believe that it you do a somewhat generic basing (for example, a bit of stone, a bit of earth, a bit of wood, a bit of grass), it will match most of the boards.
  24. FYI, this bug (among others) has been notified to the designer of the scenario editors, he's looking into it.
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