Octopus Overlords

I had some really good luck last year selling stuff on eBay. Especially things like kickstarter games with exclusives. I always made my money back on those.

My gold mine though was my FLGS auction. I got close to $1000 credit at the store selling off a bunch of stuff. Any chance you have something like that near you?

Punisher wrote: ↑Tue Aug 14, 2018 10:51 am I would also say to make a post in the trade forum. Maybe you have something an OOer is looking for...

I second that. Give OOers a day or two to pick over your leavings.

One significant weakness in my solo gaming hobby is not having room to set out a game and leave it. Between kids and cats, leaving something overnight on the kitchen table has never been an option.

Last night I was looking over at my wife's old computer desk in my home office. It's a bit of an eyesore, she never uses it, and it takes up almost half of an entire wall. I could yank it out, but then what to put there? Then it hit me - I had a wide folding table in the garage that would fit the space almost perfectly.

With my wife looking at me like I was crazy, I cleaned out the computer desk and dragged it into the garage. Brought the folding table in which indeed was a perfect fit. Added a tablecloth and a lamp and now I have a really nice gaming table to leave out games in progress.

I'm really loving the space. With my office chair it sits at a really nice height. Last night I laid out a game of Too Many Bones and had more than enough space to spread out. I'm going to set out Big Trouble in Little China this weekend and really give it the table hog test.

Now get yourself a neoprene mat or cut some cheap yoga mats to fit the surface and you'll be set!

My kids are teenagers now. They use their room for sleeping, or during free time for lounging on the bed, listening to music or browsing the internet. There is a large table in the center of the room that I've co-opted for my use. I have yoga mats on it (which works perfectly), and have all the board game space I could ask for. Well, except for storage.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Fri Aug 17, 2018 10:05 am Now get yourself a neoprene mat or cut some cheap yoga mats to fit the surface and you'll be set!

Never felt the need for one so out of curiosity, why for the mat? If it's about die rolling, I've got a nice dice tray for that... or is it about things being less likely to slide around accidentally?

MonkeyFinger wrote: ↑Fri Aug 17, 2018 10:21 am

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Fri Aug 17, 2018 10:05 am Now get yourself a neoprene mat or cut some cheap yoga mats to fit the surface and you'll be set!

or is it about things being less likely to slide around accidentally?

It's for a few things. It helps things stay put, like cards, board components, and miniatures. For this, I find that the yoga mats work better than the neoprene (neoprene mats are essentially giant mousepads - or wetsuit material), as the surface has more 'grab', but both work. It helps with cards, as it has both tack (cards don't slide as much) and give (you can easily pick single cards up without clawing at them or sliding them.) Neoprene works slightly better for this, as the surface is smoother, but again, both work. Both also protect components, as they're slight table padding. It's also about aesthetics. My yoga mats are two sided, black and purple. I'd love to get one that's green and (whatever), too. If you get neoprene mats made for gaming, you can get them with theming, like starfields, grassy plains, or cobblestones.

They're all versatile, too. I actually use both. I keep the yoga mats on there, but if I'm going to be playing a card game I'll either drop down a personal-sized neoprene mat for each player, or pull out my 4'x4' starfield mat, depending on the game. For miniatures games I've even draped a cloth over the yoga mats to keep the padding and give for cards, but to add the appropriate background surface for the game (like a rock-and-dirt pattern for a fantasy miniatures battle.)

This, by the way, is the mat I have. I bought two, put them side by side on the table, then got underneath and traced the edges of the table onto them with a magic marker. Then I cut them out with a knife. They fit perfectly, and roll up small when not in use.

YellowKing wrote: ↑Fri Aug 17, 2018 9:01 am One significant weakness in my solo gaming hobby is not having room to set out a game and leave it. Between kids and cats, leaving something overnight on the kitchen table has never been an option.

To make things as cliche as possible, I've tried setting up solo gaming in my basement and it's worked out great in the summer. However, I already know it's not going to be a great plan for the winter because despite some basic heating, it's still just brutal down there between January and March.

I've been trying to give away (like, free) a pullout couch for the last 6 months to try and clear out the family room that is also my office. My goal is to put a folding table in its spot so I can set up solo games and a painting station for the winter months. If I don't get any takers on the couch, it's going to get dumpstered come September.

This is the table with the mats in place. I'm getting ready to learn Champions of Midgard after picking it up at GenCon. I'm hoping to get it on the table for Sunday.




Personal mats. I picked these up at GenCon for $3 each.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Fri Aug 17, 2018 11:08 am To make things as cliche as possible, I've tried setting up solo gaming in my basement and it's worked out great in the summer.

I would never do that... because I'd need a basement.

The yoga mat thing is a great idea, Blackhawk. I've actually got a couple of yoga mats that my wife uses for exercise. She'd probably frown on me cutting those up, but I'm going to at least use them to test out the look/feel tonight. If it works I'll buy a couple.

I'm good on personal player mats. I bought a couple of neoprene ones for Aeon's End and they really do make a big difference. I find it nearly unbearable now to play a card based game and not have a neoprene mat underneath me.

Here's what I'm working with. This is a set up of TOO MANY BONES from last night.

USPS strikes again. Apparently you need to wrap game boxes in Kevlar in order to get through my local post office. Not only is the box crushed, but it looks like whatever inside the game box (manual? reference sheet) is also damaged. I haven't broken the shrink wrap as I'm waiting for the vendor to provide a response.

You just need to get out of New Jersey.

Looks like a giant squid strike to me. Nasty buggers.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon Aug 20, 2018 2:19 pm You just need to get out of New Jersey.

Indeed. Alas, when one takes up residence in Satan's swampy buttock cleavage, life is just one Sisyphean ordeal after another.

Seriously though, that sucks. Almost looks as if someone has it in for you Smoove, and is venting their spleen by going postal on your deliveries. If that's happened often, I'd be inclined to file a complaint for damaged mail, futile as it likely would be.

My packages are almost always damaged/crushed, but this is the first time whatever happened actually came through the box and damaged the contents. It's beyond frustrating.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Mon Aug 20, 2018 3:12 pm My packages are almost always damaged/crushed, but this is the first time whatever happened actually came through the box and damaged the contents. It's beyond frustrating.

File a complaint for damaged mail and get an official paper trail established, and keep doing so if/when it happens again.

If nothing else, it'll help shine a bureaucratic spotlight onto the cack-handedness of the responsible individual(s) and hold them accountable. They owe you better than that, even in Beelzebub's baleful bunghole.

That video is one of those things that you see and ask "Why has no one done this?"

People have done similar - Dwarven Forge does modular terrain like that, and Hirst Arts puts out molds to make your own. Miniature Market does 3d printed terrain, and there are a number of 3d printable sets out there. I just don't think I've seen anyone do it quite so well and elaborately.

So, in order to clear out some space, I've realized that I'll no longer have the room to keep my miniatures out on shelves. The problem is that them being on shelves is how I find what I need during games. I'm playing D&D and find that I need a human caster, or a bugbear. Casters have their own row, humanoid monsters other than orcs & goblins have their own section. I grab and go.

The best option I've come up with involves photographing each miniature, uploading the photos go Google Photos, and using the tags to sort them (human, caster, robes). I then place them in boxes (divided hobby boxes for painted, ziplocs in plastic tote 'shoe boxes' for unpainted) that are numbered and comment the box/bag number in the comments section.

I need to do this probably 1,500 times.



Anyone have any efficiency suggestions?

I am thinking about Ikea Alex drawers for my minis. Right now I have a file box with 6 screw organizers of plastic minis. Each organizers is for a type - good humanoid, evil humanoid (x2), animal, undead, monster. A deep scrapbooking case fits the bigger plastic minis, and a shoebox the medium size. Metal painted figures are in two old foam boxes.

A lot of my issue is space. I live in a fairly small apartment with three other people, and just don't have enough room for 'stuff.' Foam boxes are great for travel, but actually take up more space than the miniatures do on a shelf. The Ikea shelves would be perfect - if I had an extra 15 feet of wall somewhere!

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Mon Aug 20, 2018 3:12 pm My packages are almost always damaged/crushed, but this is the first time whatever happened actually came through the box and damaged the contents. It's beyond frustrating.

That is weird. Any idea what tool or behavior is responsible?

We've had USPS box deliveries probably one or two days a week for a decade or more, and it's rare that the boxes are even slightly crumpled. I think I've never seen contents damaged.

I'm debating on trying to figure out how to install video cameras. I strongly suspect (but cannot prove - yet) that my carrier rolls up the driveway and throws my packages from the window of the truck. That alone wouldn't explain why my boxes always show up crushed and bent, but it would tell me that the general attitude of handling said packages isn't one that's concerned with safe handling. It was something that used to occur infrequently, but it's definitely increased over the last year or two.

Incidentally, the vendor for Nemo's War filed an insurance claim; I was notified in writing by the USPS to anticipate questioning and/or proof. I anxiously await their inquires.

There are cameras you can rig pretty easily https://www.amazon.com/Wyze-Indoor-Wire ... 076H3SRXG/

Let's just say the temptation to throw the boxes is great, as a delivery person. My boxes vary in weight, but at least they are relatively uniform size, yet if vegetables are a bit heavy, it may not be dropped with the utmost gentleness. Getting in and out of the vehicle can be... tiresome.

Zarathud wrote: ↑Sat Sep 01, 2018 1:59 pm I am thinking about Ikea Alex drawers for my minis. Right now I have a file box with 6 screw organizers of plastic minis. Each organizers is for a type - good humanoid, evil humanoid (x2), animal, undead, monster. A deep scrapbooking case fits the bigger plastic minis, and a shoebox the medium size. Metal painted figures are in two old foam boxes.

I have an old stand-alone card catalog that I might be tempted to part with. It's a 5x2 unit, no legs, goes on a table or some such.

Also, what about these?

Cheap File Boxes

AWS260 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 23, 2017 10:30 am Boardgaming in Uganda.

Video:

AWS260 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 19, 2018 7:30 pm

AWS260 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 23, 2017 10:30 am Boardgaming in Uganda.

Video:

Thanks for posting. Very cool.

LordMortis wrote: ↑Fri Sep 28, 2018 1:16 pm

Psst. OctoCon. 2 weeks.

3 days of time off for the rest of the year and I'm behind on everything both at home and at work.



I can't always get what I want.

LordMortis wrote: ↑Fri Sep 28, 2018 1:33 pm I can't always get what I want.

You can try sometimes...

D&D made us smarter!

For Kade Wells, the teacher who runs the club at Davis Ninth Grade School outside Houston, the answer is simple: “Playing Dungeons & Dragons makes you smarter.”

The declaration is bold, but the scholarly support and anecdotal evidence is compelling. Studies have shown that the highly social and collaborative nature of the popular fantasy role-playing game cultivates a range of social-emotional skills, which can lay the foundation for improved learning. In addition to these crucial soft skills, teachers and professors who have used the game also claim it directly benefits core academic competencies.

David Simkins, a professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, is an expert on games and learning. His research indicates that role-playing games (RPGs) can boost learning and stimulate intellectual curiosity and growth.

I'm pretty sure I just re-rolled my INT a bunch of times back then...

Pyperkub wrote:D&D made us smarter!

For Kade Wells, the teacher who runs the club at Davis Ninth Grade School outside Houston, the answer is simple: “Playing Dungeons & Dragons makes you smarter.”

The declaration is bold, but the scholarly support and anecdotal evidence is compelling. Studies have shown that the highly social and collaborative nature of the popular fantasy role-playing game cultivates a range of social-emotional skills, which can lay the foundation for improved learning. In addition to these crucial soft skills, teachers and professors who have used the game also claim it directly benefits core academic competencies.

David Simkins, a professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, is an expert on games and learning. His research indicates that role-playing games (RPGs) can boost learning and stimulate intellectual curiosity and growth.

I'm pretty sure I just re-rolled my INT a bunch of times back then...

It's the Devil's knowledge I tell you!

This is a good video about someone pursuing their dream to work in the games industry.

FFG

The release of KeyForge is just days away, and everyone here at Fantasy Flight Games is incredibly excited for the launch. We’ve seen your excitement too, and we can’t wait for you to open your first Archon Deck and start playing.

Archon names in KeyForge are procedurally generated by an algorithm that pulls from a list that includes tens of thousands of words. The result is that every Archon name (i.e. every deck name) generated by the algorithm is unique. Regrettably, some of the words that were included in the pool created the potential for defective Archon Decks with an unfortunate pairing of words.

We have taken corrective measures to adjust the naming algorithm for future decks, but a small percentage of decks including these words (less than 0.05% of the initial print run) have already reached the public. Instead of allowing these decks to persist in the KeyForge community, we have determined that the best course of action is to remove these decks from the play environment. Defective Archon Decks that we have flagged for removal will not be playable in any official KeyForge Organized Play events.

I've been testing my kids on Pathfinder. 10 and 7. It's a very stripped-down version I'm running. Dice, saving towns, mostly fighting, as quick as we can without getting bogged down in details.

Our first run out of the gate ended poorly with me trying to over-exaggerate why it was okay for my 7 year old to kill Goblins. "Well, they're really bad. They do really bad things. They hurt people, they steal things, and sometimes they even murder children." To far on that last one. He had nightmares and didn't want to ever play again.

I convinced them to play again a week ago, and they had a blast. So much so that when I suggested it over the weekend, they jumped on it.

That time was also a blast - but ended poorly. The NPC Cleric I was running to keep them alive died. They faced off against 5 Lizardmen, and that was a little too much for 3 level 1's. By the end of the fight, it was down to just my 10 year old, playing a Sorcerer, out of spells, and desperately trying to hit the last Lizardman with his Light Crossbow before he got attacked. He succeeded, but the other two were laying on the ground, bleeding out.

I decided this was a good time to ramp up the tension and stakes. I get animated and excited. "Roll! Roll! You've got to get that Bandage on him quick!" He rolls a 6 - he has no bonus to Healing. He fails. "No! Quick! He's still bleeding! Roll again!" He rolls, fails. Rolls, fails. "Oh no! The Dwarf has died! We can't stop though! Your ally (his little brother's Fighter) is bleeding too! Quick! Save him!" He rolls, fails. Rolls, fails. I'm super excited, they're both really into it. "Quick! Bandage him!" He rolls a 16 and succeeds! We all cheer.

At first he wanted to take the Dwarf's stuff, but I told him that wouldn't be very good - and his character is Good. He should return it to the Dwarf's family. He agrees. They get back to a town and I suggest they can take him to the local church, and they'll handle the burial and family rites. I ask him if he wants to say anything about the Dwarf to them before he departs. He's not sure what to say ... I offer some helpful suggestions, which he takes "He died defending us with honor" kind of thing. He whispers to me, though, if he has to tell them about not being able to bandage the dwarf, and that being why he died. "No, no, of course not..." I'm a little worried.

Then he starts asking if there's any way for the Dwarf to come back - I'm putting his character sheet away - and I explain that part of the game is that when someone dies, that character is out of the game. They might come back, but things like Resurrection spells are really expensive.

As I'm helping them level up, he insists on spending more points on Healing - not a class skill, so double cost. Sure bud. No problem!

Later that evening, after they're in bed, I'm putting together a Monk to be their next NPC companion and the 10 year old comes out with tears in his eyes. He explains that he can't stop thinking about the poor Dwarf, and feels really bad that he couldn't save him. We have a chat about games, fiction, and how no one's really angry or anything. He's insistent. I remind him that he could come back, and isn't really gone. Someone could resurrect him. That seems to pacify him and he goes back to bed.

I hope he never changes. I'm also thinking I need to find some way to logically bring the Dwarf back or re-incorporate him into the short story they've had. So far they saved a tiny village from Goblin raids and defeated some Lizardmen acting as bandits. Not an epic adventure, yet.