2.5D Trees - Update

Based on feedback from the helpful members of the OneMonk forum, I created a new paper tree model, which ended a lot nicer than the first one.

There's still room for improvement (as always) but I feel that now I'm close to being able to create a set of paper trees that will look good with my 15mm miniatures.

UPDATE: Here is a pack of six trees in three variations, ready to print in A4 or letter formats.

Armor Grid: Mech Attack

I finally had time to build my first set of Mech Attack miniatures and try a solo game. It must be said that all the models look very good when assembled. The downside is that the models, especially the mechs, have some intrincate cuts that must be made, which means that they take some time to build properly.

For the first game, I decided to settle with two very small forces (20BP): on one side, a single heavy mech with four medium cannons; on the other, a light mech with missiles and lasers, along with a vehicle, one heavy infantry and one light infantry. I was curious about how balanced the fight would be.

ICONS: First Impressions

I never was too much into superhero RPGs until I came to know Mutants & Masterminds. When that game came out translated to portuguese here in Brazil, I bought the books mostly to support the publisher. I was surprised, first to read what I consider the finest RPG translation into portuguese so far, and second, to find the great game system that M&M is.

Anyway, when I recently found out that the PDF version of ICONS, a superhero game that includes Steve Kenson (from M&M) and Gareth-Michael Skarka among its authors, was on sale for US$1.99 at RPGNow, there was no thinking twice. As I write this, I'm finishing my first quick read of the 126-page book. Here are my first impressions about it:

2.5D Trees - Printed version

I've tried to create a printed version of the 2.5D trees that so far I've been building with cardstock and paper. Here is the first version:

You have to score the vertical lines that cross the frame, then fold it making a "Y"-shaped profile.

Here is the result near a 15mm and 28mm miniatures, for comparison. I think that a 3-4" high would be good for the 28mm one.

I'll probably create some more versions in 300dpi to replace my current paper trees.

Playing HoTT... in Inkscape

Over the last two evenings, I tried my first game of Hordes of the Things (HoTT). Since I had no suitable minis, no time to build some with paper, and no terrain either, the game would have to be run on the computer. Unfortunately, as far as I know RPTools does not allow free rotations, so I decided to try Inkscape. The first step was to create a 60x60cm "page" and create a few markers for the elements. The elements containing the generals are marked with stars. Using layers, I kept the base terrain, features and elements separate.

To sum it up: Overall I liked HoTT, but I feel that I still have to fully understand the rules, especially the ones about tactical movement. Inkscape worked well as a "virtual board" and battle report tool at the same time. The detailed battle report follows.