Hi everyone :)
Over the weekend I released the second in my YouTube series 'Goblin Squire Investigates', in which I look at the different types of 3D printing. I'd love for you to check it out, and if you like what you see, why not subscribe to my channel? I'm really enjoying making these videos, and it's been really encouraging to hear that people have been finding them useful. I already have a few more questions which have come in, but I'd be very happy to receive some more! You can leave a comment on this post, contact me on twitter (@Goblin_Squire) or email me via the contact page of this website. In the first video in the series I looked at brush care, so be sure to check that out if it's something you're interested in!
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Hi everyone :) Last week I managed to play a game of Blood Bowl, which was my first proper game in many years (essentially since I was a teenager), and it was great fun. I decided that I would write up a match report to commemorate the occasion, so I hope you enjoy! I'll just say at this stage that all appropriate social distancing measures were taken. As it was our first game back after a long absence, we decided to use the line-ups which came with the teams. I would be playing the Fire Mountain Gut Busters, and my opponent would be playing the Naggaroth Nightmares. Without further ado, I'm going to hand you over to the commentary team: Pre Match"Good afternoon, and welcome to the big game! I'm your host for this evening, Barry Shineker, and I'm here with my colleague Savage Robby. We're here at the neutral Altdorf Stadium for a one off match between the Naggaroth Nightmares and the Fire Mountain Gut Busters. In any other sport it might be called a friendly, but there's no such thing in Blood Bowl! As an Ogre yourself Savage I'm sure you'll be hoping for a Gut Busters victory, but I hope you'll be able to stay impartial in your coverage" "TEAMS SMASH!!" "Well, quite. I'm hearing that despite the neutral location we have rather a rather partisan crowd, with 13,000 ogres in attendance and only 5,000 Night Elves. That sounds like a recipe for trouble to me...and, yes...sure enough, there's a riot in progress! It looks like we'll have a delayed kick off here. While the stewards sort that out it gives me time to talk a little about the weather here, and it's pretty foul. The rain has been pouring down all day, and that's going to make it difficult to control the ball isn't it Savage?" "NO CARE ABOUT BALL, STUPID HUMAN" "I think that gives us an indication of the kind of tactics we might see from the Ogre team, and they may be helped in that by the choice of referee for this match. Jorn the Ogre will be officiating, although far be it from me to question his objectivity. Well, it looks like we're finally ready to go, and I'm hearing that the Naggaroth Nightmares have won the toss and chosen to receive. Let's get into the action..." First HalfDespite the riot taking away the first turn for each side, the Naggaroth Nightmares got off to a quick start, advancing down the field rapidly, passed the rather immobile ogre team. Not only that, but the very first action of the game KO'd a gnoblar! It looked as though the fast start might be dented when an ogre strolled over and outright killed a dark elf runner, but the Nightmares were still able to score a second turn touchdown. Not only that, but their physio's magic sponge really lived up to its name by bringing the runner back to life! What had been a blistering start for the Nightmares, with a series of amazing dice rolls, starting to turn sour after the coach failed a dexterity roll while attempting to drink tea and spilt some on the board... For the most part the rest of the first half passed in an embarrassing series of fumbles and dropped balls in the pouring rain. This was exemplified by a Night Elf blitzer who, in three consecutive turns, fell over twice then dropped the ball in the end zone! There was a modicum of good news for the Fire Mountain Gut Busters, however, as the player who had been magically revived was killed again! After the rapid start to the first half, the game slightly limped through to half time, with the Naggaroth Nightmares holding a 1-0 lead over the Fire Mountain Gut Busters. Half Time"A well deserved lead for the Naggaroth Nightmares there, wouldn't you say Savage?" "PUNY NIGHT ELVES NO MATCH FOR OGRE FISTS!" "Well, it's certainly true that the Nightmares will be rather depleted for the second half. The question will be can they continue their dominance with just...it looks like they will have only 8 players fit for the second half, while the Gut Busters seem to have a never ending supply of gnoblars to fill their 11 spots! The ogre fans are looking a little restless again out there, so I hope that the team can find something to put a smile back on their faces". "HAPPY OGRE IS PUNCHY OGRE" "And, with that terrifying prospect, its time to get back into the action". Second HalfThe second half started even more quickly than the first, with a blitz action rolled on the kick off table. That meant that even though they were kicking, the Naggaroth Nightmares were able to take the first turn. A spectacular failure on the part of a gnoblar meant that they were able to run in an unopposed touchdown in their first 'proper' turn of the half. Not only that, but with another riot rolled on the kick off table both turn markers were moved back one space, so we were essentially back at the start of the second half, but with a second touchdown for the Nightmares! To make matters even worse, some of the KO'd members of the team regained consciousness and came back on to the field, meaning that they had more players than at the 'proper' start of the half. It's fair to say I was cursing my luck! My fortunes started to change somewhat soon after the following kick off, when an ogre miraculously managed to catch a fumble. What followed was a charge down the pitch...OK, it took 3 full turns for the ogre to run half the pitch, but nevertheless it was 2-1, and I was back in with a chance. Briefly...! Some more disastrous handling from gnoblars handed another easy touchdown to the Nightmares and just like that they pulled ahead to 3-1. The remaining turns were taken up by desperate attempts by the ogres to throw and kick the gnoblars into the end zone but, despite some relatively close attempts, the game ended 3-1 to the Naggaroth Nightmares Post Match Analysis"Welcome back to the studio, where I'm now on my own after Savage Robby left to join in the latest riot.
The Naggaroth Nightmares will be pleased with the final result, but will be just as glad that they have a long time to recover before their next match. It was a bloody and brutal affair out there, and the Dark Elves were definitely on the receiving end of the worst of it. I'm just hearing that the final decision for MVP has now been reached, and...it's gone to the physio for the Nightmares! No wonder, having brought one player back to life, and ensuring that countless others regained consciousness in time to get back on the pitch. I fear a match like this could have been devastating to the Nightmares if this were a league match as they wouldn't have been close to fielding a full side in their next match. In total seven players were dead or seriously injured, and it would have been nine but for the genuinely magic sponge and the iron will of the witch elf. Well, that's it from me. Join me next time when we transmit Blood Bowl directly into your head using the most powerful wizards in the land. What's that? My producer is telling me that that should have been the most available wizards in all the land. Good Night!"
Hi everyone :)
Today I'm going to be reviewing Xmas PileUp from Mushroom Gaming (check them out here). You might remember a little while ago I reviewed Rabbit Rummage which I had backed on Kickstarter, and this game is by the same creator. My usual disclaimer applies - I am not getting paid for writing this review. I was, however, lucky enough to play a pre-release version of this, as it is coming to Kickstarter next week, Tuesday 15th September (you can sign up to be notified on launch here). The game will cost £10. The Basics
Xmas PileUp is the latest instalment in Mushroom Gaming's series of quick and simple games, as such it is very easy to understand and get playing.
The basic concept is that you are looking to pile up the Christmas trees and end the game with a taller stack than your opponent. If your tower falls over you need to start again, so it's all about having a good pile at the end. Each player takes it in turn to roll the die, and that many trees are taken from the bag. Where the tactics come in, though, is that you can choose whether you add those trees to your pile or your opponents puts them on their's. Is it any good?
As I've come to expect from Mushroom Gaming, the game is well conceived and designed. The pieces are high quality, and the tactile experience is really good. The use of a stereotypical Christmas tree design is perfect for a game like this, as the edges can fit together in a number of ways and mean that not every stack will be identical.
The gameplay is very simple but effective. Once again, this really does have the feel of something you could play with the whole family (babies who might eat pieces aside). I found it a lot of fun to play, and it's amazing how much tension there can be when stacking small wooden Christmas trees! As with so many games, I found that the time a game takes varies based on who is playing. Much like a game of Jenga where one person spends 10 minutes inspecting the stack before making their move and another player takes 5 seconds, some may consider their pile carefully while others are rather more gung ho. There's definitely a psychological aspect of this too! With this variation in mind, most games lasted about 5 minutes, although 10 minutes was quite possible where mind tricks were involved :) In keeping with the other games in this series it isn't going to appeal to those who look for board games to provide high strategic challenge and mental workouts, but nor is it designed to. Would I recommend it?
I think that this is a very well designed and realised game, which will make a great stocking filler (or stocking stuffer if you're from the US) for any family member who enjoys light hearted board games. With delivery anticipated in time for Christmas, it could also be perfect for keeping children entertained over the holiday period.
It's possible that this says something about me rather than Christmas in general, but I find that there are always down times which can be difficult to explain to hyperactive children. I would see this working really well as a little time filler to keep guests entertained and laughing on the day. When I was a child we got presents late afternoon on Christmas Day (I know, I've lived a terribly tough life :p) so this would have been a great option to keep my brother and me occupied. It is, of course, very themed towards Christmas, which would reduce it's play throughout the year, but I think that being able to break it out each year could almost become a bit of a tradition. Hi everyone :)
Month 1 of Goblinspiration is now over, and it was so exciting to see people getting involved and painting miniatures! There was a fantastic mix of people who are regular miniature painters and those who were picking up a brush for the first time in years. The whole aim of the Goblinspiration idea is to encourage and inspire people, whether it's to try out a technique or colour scheme they wouldn't normally paint, or to try painting for the first time. There really isn't any element of competition or animosity, just encouragement. As you'll see if you watch the video above, the them for September is 'Magic', and one of the things I'm trying to encourage with this is interpreting the brief however works for you. It could be a scene of arcane magic, or it could simply be something beautiful which feels magic to you. Let your imagination take you wherever it wants to! If you do want to take part, just tweet pictures of your mini using #Goblinspiration and tag me in (@Goblin_Squire) or send the pictures to me through this website. It would be great to have you involved! |
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