Tank's in the Post

Just a short post to say a big thank you to Phil at The Wargaming Site. I won myself some 6mm tanks for helping his Blog over the 1 million hits threshold a few weeks ago and they arrived on Friday. I was unreasonably happy when they arrived in the post at my office. I think my work colleges looked in my eyes and saw the shineybloodyitus up close and personal, because there was a slight look of panic on their faces as I showed them my tiny tanks!

My tiny tanks!

This wasn't the only prize I won in Phil's Million Hits giveaway. I also won a copy of the PC Game WWII Frontline Commander. However as I seem to have a host of things on my to-do list and a finite amount of time to complete them in I decided to pass the game onto someone else who can do the game justice. So my eldest daughter's boyfriend (a dedicated computer gamer) received the game, in return for a promise to play a real wargame, with miniatures and terrain rather than pixels and power-ups! It's all part of my cunning plan to wean the lad off of digital gaming and turn him into a proper Grognard before its too late. 

The SELWG Bring & Buy

All going well I should be at SELWG this Sunday along with several other of the Rejects. After the success I had last year on the Bring and Buy I decided to give it another go this year. I don't have any models to sell this time but instead thought I'd clear a few DVD's and computer games. I've deliberately tried to price these low to guarantee a sale, plus I like the idea of fellow wargamer's at the show going home with a bargain or two. And of course the organisers get a commission by running the B&B so its a 'win' all round I think.

Battleground PC Games            £10.00

These classic PC games have been around for a long time. I tested them recently and they still run fine on Windows Vista and Win 7 OS systems and although they are a little dated now they are still very enjoyable games. The set included 6 CD games including four ACW battles (Antietam, Shiloh, Bull Run, Gettysburg) and two Napoleonic (Waterloo and Napoleon in Russia). I've enjoyed them all but especially the Antietam game which was as bloody and as hard as the historical battle.

Martial Arts Movie Bundle       £10.00

This bundle includes 5 Martial Arts films on DVD: Ong Bak, Fearless, Mongol, Warlords , and Warriors of Heaven and Earth. 

Pro Fantasy Software Bundle    £10.00

Back when I was running my own D&D campaign I had the mad idea that I would make all my own maps. So I bought Campaign Cartographer from Profantasy Software. I can't remember exactly what I paid for them but the latest version is retailing at £29.95. Similarly the City Designer and Dungeon Designer Pro retail for £28 each. I'm selling all three for a tenner and even though they aren't the latest versions I still thinks that represents a bargain in anybody's book.

PC Game Bundle                        £10.00

The fourth lot is a four game bundle. All are PC games and include a fairly eclectic mix of genre's but I'm sure there will be at least one in the pack to suit most gamers. Medal of Honor: Airborne, Praetorians, Medieval Total War and Tank Simulator

Hot Lead: Painting DVD           £10.00

This one is the real bargain as far as I'm concerned. Hot Lead : How to paint a Better Miniature is a triple DVD tutorial by american artist Laszlo Jakusovsky. The three DVD's include over 8 hours of advice covering everything from basic techniques through to very advanced painting styles. This DVD is still available online and is currently selling at $40/£25 plus postage and I'm passing it on for a mere ten of your pounds.

I'm also selling a couple of books for a few quid each just to cover the commission charges. All money raised will of course be ploughed back into my hobby, in this case some more of the 4Ground MDF buildings and of course more miniatures!

Playing in the Arcade

I had a few days of work earlier this week to coincide with the kids Half Term school break. On Tuesday we took them to Southend for a day at the Adventure Island amusement park. Despite being late October the sun shone pretty much all day and the kids had a great time on the rides.

However after 6 hours of this I was starting to get a little bit bored and I cast my eye in the direction of the Video Arcade. I found myself playing a game called Operation Vulcan wielding a monster of a chain gun and blasting aircraft out of the sky while laughing maniacally. I think I may have embarrassed myself a little. OK, more than a little, but that's never stopped me before.

I tried to explain to the kids how the games have moved on a bit since I was a nipper. But I'm not sure they understood what I meant when I described the very basic and jerky graphics I knew as a teenager. It's all a bit incomprehensible to a generation that have grown up on PS2's and X-Boxes. This Star Wars game was utterly awesome in its day and I remember spending a large amount of time - and a significant amount of pocket money - playing it while on holiday one year. Ah, those were the days!

Adrenalin Rush on Omaha Beach

I don't often play computer games but now and again I will dip my toe into the ocean of electronic games and have a paddle. But this time I got more than my feet wet because I ended up storming Omaha beach.

My Brother-in-law game me the computer game Medal of Honor: Allied Assault a few months ago and I've been playing it little by little in between painting projects. It's not a bad first person shoot-em-up and was pretty entertaining throughout with an opportunity to try out various missions and a range of weapons and combat situations. But one section stood out - by far - for it's sheer cinematic quality. The D-Day assault of Omaha beach took my breath away (and life on several occasions).

I tend to play wearing headphones so the music and sound effects don't bother the people around me and for this mission this policy paid dividends. The virtually surround sound noise of the action made this one of the most realistic representations of an opposed beach landing. This video on YouTube shows the whole assault in all its terrible glory.



I hasten to add this video isn't of my game-play (I die a lot) but does show the whole mission from riding in on the LCA's through to getting off the beaches and into the German defences.

I've played this mission several times now and it still stands out as a breathtaking and terrifying experience. Not surprising really as Steven Spielberg had a hand in its design (way back in 2002) and utilised ideas and scenes from his film Saving Private Ryan. Its an old game now but still worth picking up in a bargain bin if you get a chance.

Lunchtime Warfare

I usually try to make sure I take my lunch break every day. In some work environments this is frowned upon and the mantra 'lunch is for wimps' can damage any career. Aside from the fact that I'm past caring what other people think of me we have a much more relaxed attitude to breaks in my office. So I often make sure I get some reading done during lunch. I've even been known to work on some models but recently I've been playing a simple little web-game called Tanks.

Its not a complex game of strategy. Its not even a battle of wits and tactics. Its just a simple turn based 'shoot em up' game that has been keeping me amused while I eat my sandwiches. It can become a little compulsive though because some of the ammunition choices available to the player are such fun. There's nothing quite like blowing something up in your lunch break to relax and refresh you before hitting the work again in the afternoon.

At the end of each section the player gets money to spend buying weapons or upgrading their tank. Its tempting to spend all the money on upgrading the health or shields but its much more fun to spend it all on an Air strike or a Nuke.

The only downside to this game is you have to play through all the easy levels to get to more challenging battles. I've made it to level nine a couple of times but it takes a lot of patience to get that far. Having said that its been fun. So now and again my colleges get to hear me chuckle maniacally or punch the air and growl "eat my thermonuclear wrath you little $@*&# !!!!". 

Space Invaders

I came across a great cartoon recently that sent me on a trip down memory lane. I'm not a big player of computer games these days, but when I was a kid I was hooked like pretty much every boy my age. I remember a family caravan holiday at Clacton (on the East coast of Essex) where I spent a large amount of time - and pretty much all of my pocket money - playing Space Invaders at the local amusement arcade. I'm not sure that my parents thought it was a productive use of my time but it beat the hell out of fishing.

I think of myself as fortunate that I grew up just as computing, and computer games, started to become accessible to the ordinary people. That's not to say I or my parents could afford to take advantage of the latest home technology. We always seemed to be a few years behind everyone else and that's still the case for me now (I'll get that iPad eventually). Maybe this is why I was hooked to the video arcade when we went on holiday. For a measly 10 pence I could play the latest game, if only for a few seconds until I got killed or the credit ran out. And that for me was the great attraction of Space Invaders. It was the first game that I personally had encountered that rewarded skill with extended play... and for a while I got quite skillful indeed. What an incredible summer that was.

The game was designed and programmed by Toshihiro Nishikado for the Japanese company Taito and was first released in 1978. It was later licensed by the US company Midway and in 1980 was licensed by Atari for the 2600 home system. Its still around in various forms for modern media which says a lot for the durability of this simple game. The original game was actually in monochrome with the coloured parts simulated by use of coloured plastic overlays. Space Invaders has allegedly earned Taito in excess of $500 Million USD since it was first created. #

Not bad for the most basic of shoot-em-ups.

Goodbye to Gettysburg

I've been sorting out a load of old computer stuff that has been accumulating in the house. Over the years I've acquired, but never got round to throwing out, several computers, keyboards, screens and a huge pile of very old computer games that have long since become defunct. Most of this stuff doesn't work any more but all of it comes with fond memories.

Foremost amongst the pile of old games are a collection of Talensoft Battleground wargames. I bought these when I still had a computer that ran Windows 95 and haven't played them in years. I tried reloading one of the games on my laptop with its Vista OS and needless to say it didn't respond well. While this is a great pity its also an opportunity for me to get out and buy a more up to date version of the game.

Battleground Gettysburg (originally released in 1995) was my first purchase in the series and was one of my favorite games for a long time. I had a trial copy that I think came on a magazine CD and liked it so much I went out and bought the full version - the only time I've ever done this.

One scenario I played time and time again was Picketts Charge. I got slaughtered pretty much every time I played the Confederates but being a computer game I could go back to the beginning and try again, changing my strategy based on earlier games. I'd like to play this with miniatures one day, just to see if I learned anything from my virtual training ground.

Cool Cardboard

Here's a cool new gaming concept that my mate Dave told me about. The gadget blog Crave describes the concept as the merging of cardboard and computer to make a more immersive board game.

The video shows what looks like a proof-of-concept mock-up of the finished product but it gives some idea of what might be achievable in a very short time.

Tech & D&D on a new level

I came across this on Wired.Com and decided it was just too cool not to get a showing here...

The Surfacescapes concept has been around for a couple of years but this is the first time I have seen it used in a 'practical' application. This looks like Wizards of the Coasts D&D Insider on steroids! But is it D&D?

I've never really taken to electronic dice rollers - call me old fashioned but I like the tactile experience of holding the dice. Other than this I quite like the look of this concept... especially the fact that this proves that D&D geeks are out there designing the software interfaces of tomorrow.

Truly, the Geeks shall inherit the Earth.

Order of War

I don't play many computer games these days, I just don't have the time to devote to them in between all my other hobbies. But now and again I am tempted play some digital warfare. One game that looks cool is Order of War.

"In the summer of 1944, the Second World War entered its end-game when the Allies launched two major operations that would drive back German forces on both the Western and Eastern Fronts at once. In the ultimate test of military strategy, ORDER OF WAR will challenge you not only to lead America’s finest to victory in the West, but also place you in command of German forces charged with repelling the Red Army’s seemingly unstoppable offensive in the East.Even the keenest military minds will find that it’s one thing to make history, but quite another to change it. Do you have what it takes to command?"
(Source: gamershell.com)

The screenshots look stunning although I was struck by the very cinematic feel of the images.
I saw this short video for the game and thought it worth posting. The vid is embeded so just click the play button and it should work... hopefully.

Order of War is due for release on September 18th.

The Old Republic

Just seen this AWESOME trailer for the game Star Wars : The Old Republic. I'm not into computer games much (too many demands on my time as it is) but I could be persuaded to alter that stance after seeing this.

[Update 29/6/09 : I've had to remove the trailer because it started automatically and was slowing down page loading to an unacceptable level. Just follow the link above and you can watch the Trailer from there.]

I'm off to Rampage today so expect to see some pictures tomorrow onwards.

Dave Stokes Sketchbook

Time for me to shamelessly plug the Blog of a good friend of mine, and fellow member of the Dagenham Dungeon Delvers, Dave Stokes. He describes himself as a "starving artist" which is probably true... 18hrs straight at World of Warcraft will do that. Dave recently published his first book, Digital Divas to much acclaim. His work is simply awesome and featuring a showcase of his art here at BigLee's Miniature Adventures is long overdue.

Here's a WoW Dwarven Priest that Dave did for a friend back in June 2008.

This is an Eladrin Swordmage that I suspect is based on Dave's 4e character, Cealathalas.

This is a Wardancer and another favorite picture of mine.

Like many artists Dave is his harshest critic and he wasn't very complimentary about this picture of a Sorceress. However, for my money, this is one of his best fantasy pictures.

Anyway I hope you liked this little taster of Dave's work and please pop over to his blog to check out his other creations. You won't be disappointed.

Antietam 1862

I have been exploring some old PC games that I discovered yesterday. These included the Talonsoft Battleground series. They are pretty basic by today's standards but the thing I always liked about these games was the use of music and sound effects to enhance the playing experience. One of my favorites was Antietam 1862 so I decided to see if I could play it today. Despite being twelve years old this game loaded well on my laptop and played smoothly and flawlessly.Antietam (known as the Battle of Sharpsburg to the South) took place on September 17th 1862. In just one day more than one hundred thousand men join in a battle, little knowing that it would result in over twenty three thousand casualties - the single bloodiest day in American history. Union Army Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan launched attacks against the vastly out-numbered force of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on the banks of Antietam Creek. Lee committed his whole force to the defence while McClellan was more cautious and sent in less than three quarters of his available troops. Despite horrendous casualties Lee retained possession of the battlefield for another day and was able to withdraw most of his army back into Virginia.