D&D: Jaegers of Zielen. Homebrew 5E

Welcome to another post and this time its a little different... I'll be showing off some of my homebrew D&D content, the Jaegers of Zielen. This came about after chatting to a player who wanted to have a bit of a monster hunter feel but without being too 'The Witcher'. So I played around with some ideas and created the Jaegers of Zielen, a secretive organisation that operate around the Sowrd Coast (and sometimes beyond) under the guise of the Lords Alliance. I was a little hesitant to post this in case my players found something out I didn't want them to know yet but I think at this point most is common knowledge with them or its something that may have known out of game anyway.

Jaegers of Zielen.

Throughtout the history of Faerun many heroic deeds have been told by Bards, tales of slaying great beasts that threaten villages, songs sung of cults stopped by the actions of an adventuring party, but some go unnoticed by the larger world. The Jaegers of Zielen are an Order that was created by the Lords Alliance to undertake dangerous missions around the Sword Coast and sometimes beyond that are secretive or perhaps best not known to the general populace.

They are said to have been created by a Gold Dragon named Ornathex, and have existed for almost 300 years. Ornathex, who is the head of the Lords Alliance, needed undercover agents to infiltrate suspects of a cult, one of the suspects was a Harper. Unsure of how trustful the Harpers were, the dragon decided to create a small secretive order that would do deeds should a quiet approach be needed. His first recruit was a half orc ranger called Zielen. Zielen was known for his quiet approach to hunting a quarry, be they a beast, a criminal, or evidence regarding dangerous activities with which to incriminate suspects. Ornathex tasked him with recruiting a small number of operatives to infiltrate and watch not only the suspect in the Harpers but other suspects, and soon they had discovered Cult tendancies among those they watched. It turned out to be they were worshippers of Tiamat, and without anyone knowing all were assassinated before they gained much support.

Ornathex saw them as being a great asset going forward, and through his own wealth had a keep built in a secretive location said to be towards the top of a great mountain range. None who try to leave the keep have survived the great distance they have to travel, and the location is still shrouded in mystery. To start with, only orphans were recruited to the Jaegers, but after time anyone who could prove loyalty and showed great talent would be allowed to test to become a Jaeger. Those who fail are kept at the Keep, either serving those who bettered them in the tests, cultivating crops that fee the Jaegers or other more menial tasks. They are also trained to an extent, should the Keep ever be attacked it can be well defended from the Jaegers themselves and those who serve them.

The tests are a gruelling time for new recruits. Mountain top runs along snow capped mountains, climbing sheer cliff faces frought with danger, wild animals desperate for food in an inhospitable environment and the snow storms that frequent the area. Only several may attempt the initiation ritual, usually no more than 5 out of 8-10 will pass. Despite it being a harsh test only the absolute best of these orphans will advance and become initiates.

It was around 40 years after the founding that Zielen fell in battle. Jaegers had been tasked under the guise of Lords Alliance agents to help lead a military assault against an underground threat in Mirabar. Undead numbers surged to an epic number, several entrances to mines there fell to animated beings and large undead constructs before they were caved in to hold them off. The Jaegers proposed a frontal assault while they infiltrated to find the source of the undead. While a large battle erupted in a huge cavern, Zielen found a Necromancer overseeing the battle. He was able to get close enough to put a blade through the Necromancers skull, before a huge beast, flesh hanging from its body and part of its skull exposed, grabbed the Jaeger and ripped his heart out. Most of the undead force dropped, the magic once controlling them now dissipated with the death of their master, but the small number of creatures that had allied with the undead forces retreated into the depths. Zielens body was recovered, and the beast that killed him slayed by the remaining 3 Jaegers who had accompanied Zielen. While none would know of Zielens heroics, the Jaegers became known as the Jaegers of Zielen in his honour. Hid body was burnt in a pyre in the courtyard of the Keep, Ornathex himself setting the pyre alight.
Overtime the recruiting process included more tasks as well as the physical endurance tests established early on. Puzzles, war tactics, fights against other trainees all becoming part of the program. Once a recruit becomes an initiate, they now train for 5-6 years even more intensely than during the initiation rights. They build up a knowledge of certain environments, learn history of the world as well as their Orders deeds and how odds were overcame. They are taught to survive on the most basic of items and how different races might act or can be swayed to help them should they need allies. They learn of military tactics, how different forces around the Sword Coast may fight and can be used to their best against a variety of enemies. Weaknesses that different beasts may have and can be exploited be they dire bears or hydras, and which tools to use for each job.

The Jaegers are taught by four mentors, all of whom are great warriors in their own right and are sometimes called upon to go on operations around the Sword Coast. They are:

Bael the Bear is one of the first individuals trainess will meet as they undergo the Rites of Initiation. Named the 'Bear' on account of his often exposed hairy torso, Bael teaches recruits how they must be versatile in the field and is a master at melee combat. He once disdained ranged weaponry but has grown to appreciate its uses over his 120 or so years since coming to the Keep and becoming a Jaeger.

Menshu Togafoot, a middle aged halfling whose smile can disarm many before a shortsword is swung. Menshu is a master in enemy psychology, able to read body language by seeing patterns and twitches and calculate how an enemy will act often before the enemy knows themselves. He is also able to implant ideas into the minds of enemies through psychology, faking movements to raise an enemies guard before striking from a different position.

Klandora Trayvex is an elven ranger who specialises in the hunt. Her tracking skills and ability to lay traps are legendary amongst the Jaegers, and her ability with the bow and reading the body language of beasts and monsters has become a great resource of knowledge for aspirants. Many Jaegers life has been saved by her lessons on how to survive with little to nothing in wild environments by this friendly if often stern elf.

Groten is an orc whose stature is second only to the Grand Master. The dark skinned orc is a master tactician in the field of battle, and whose skill with unarmed combat a favoured lesson by many at the Jaegers Keep. Groten, while menacing to look at, is also one of the most friendly of the tutors. An advocate that 'a little fun in a lesson is good for the spirit' he is often the tutor that a lot of aspirants will go to if their spirit is low or an issue has arisen.

Grand Master Horun is a mysterious figure to all initiates at the Keep. He has a presence than none other at the Keep have, a stern look always upon his face, the Grand Master does not teach any aspirant. It is only when initiates become a Jaeger will they converse with the still quiet Horun. His skill at using monastic combat is legendary amongst the few that have seen him in combat and no Jaeger has ever landed a hit on him. Only a few have even come close, and those few have gone on to become sdome of the best hunters the Jaegers have had amongst their number. Standing around 7ft tall but whose dwarven appearence belies his speed and strength, the Grand Master operates often and is tasked with the most dangerous of missions. Jaegers will occasionally seek his wisdom when they cannot find answers or have question to things. It is quietly told that Ornathex, the Ancient Gold Dragon and head of the Lords Alliance once asked to spar with Horun and not even the great wyrm could land a hit upon the Grand Master.

And there we are! The class is based upon the fighter but with a little more specialisation and also a custom version of the 'Grit Point' system that suits their training a little. If theres interest I can try and present the first 6 levels of Jaeger for others to try but bear in mind its designed for a smaller sized party of no more than four, my group is of three and it seems reasonably well balanced thus far. Let me know your thoughts, theres always room for tweaking but I will be post more homebrew content in the future.

Guide to Roleplaying

Tabletop roleplaying has become one of my great passions in this hobby. Meeting up with friends to act out adventures that a dice (and sometimes a Dungeon Master) will determine is great fun and fantastic escapism. But what can you do to make yourself a better roleplayer?

First off, speak to the dungeon master and fellow players about what you want from the game. A bloodletting dungeon crawl can mean a lower amount of roleplaying and more fighting, whereas a grand campaign with a huge narrative arc allows a huge amount of scope for really delving into a character and backstory. This will help set the mood with your group at an early stage and put everyone one the same level.

When it comes to creating a character, think about how much you want to be involved with the roleplaying aspect. To keep it simple, choose a race and class that appeal to you and put a little of your own personality there. Humans are always a good start as we know how they act already, but Elves and Dwarves aren't too dissimilar to play either. If you're looking to push your skills then races like Tieflings, Dragonborn and Goliaths can really open up your perspective. A good DM will have the world react differently to differing races and this can be really interesting to play.

In terms of a backstory always converse with the DM. The first thing is to understand the setting, which will then spark some ideas as to where your character fits in. Talk to the DM about your idea and they may be able to link you into the story even more which will immerse you even more. The more immersion, the better the roleplaying.

When you begin playing theres some things to remember. Every player will, or at least should, get time to shine. This can be from triumph in a battle getting the last hit on a renowned enemy to being the focus of a story arc in which you'll do a lot of talking and roleplaying. These moments are great for your character so really try to lose yourself in these moments. Likewise, if its a fellow players time the best thing you can do is to give them the time to shine. If they are nervous about roleplaying then you can help them get immersed. If its in the heat of a battle, you can try to set them up for a finishing blow, either by an ability or spell that can buff them or by flanking or aiding them to give them advantage. If its more character based with conversations with NPCs then just help them with little questions the player may be unsure of to ask, ask them questions that will then inspire them to talk more with the NPC's. Being a great roleplayer isn't just about playing a good character but about helping the players around you be better roleplayers too.

There will also be many times when you know things as a player but your character may not. I usually mention to the DM 'I know how to do something but I'm unsure my character will, can I roll a check to see if he does?' to see if the character will know, or quite often not even mention it. Your character will have a different variety of knowledge compared to you and this works in the opposite way too. The DM mentions something you know nothing about but think your character will? Ask your DM and hopefully they'll ask you to make an ability check. You might learn something new!

 My final piece of advice is also to accept that you will make mistakes or bad decisions and have some truly terrible sessions where the dice rolls are incredibly bad. Yes its annoying, but don't get angry at such things as they will affect the rest of the players at your table. Remember TTRPG'ing is a game and a shared experience with a number of other players and a Dungeon Master. Player etiquette should always be a priority in a group, the happier each player is the more enjoyable the session will be for everyone. Someone roll a nat20? Give em a clap or a cheer! Someone roll a nat1? Have a collective groand but laugh too!

So there we have it! I'm learning all the time when I'm roleplaying so expect more thoughts on this tremendous aspect of gaming in the future, perhaps I'll be able to get other peoples thoughts too from fellow players and dungeon masters. If there are topics you'd like me to cover then please get in touch and I'll see what I can do, Don't forget my affiliate link with The Outpost above if you want to get some nice discounts from your tabletop gaming needs and I'll be back again soon with another blog post.

The Return

If I've stated it once, I've stated it several times, but I'm back. I've not posted since November, 2018 and I'll be honest it feels like a lifetime ago. What happened during this time is deeply personal, so I won't spare the details but over the last few months my hobby mojo has started to return. It has taken a little knock during this Corona Virus debacle but I'm still soldiering away on painting and crafting ideas for gaming and generally trying to make the most of this isolation. 

Necromunda, has been at the forefront. 

I picked up a couple sets of the floor tiles, and decided to paint them purple, using silver, rust and chevrons to break them up. The PLLX stands for Pollux, thinking my hive will be named after the Imperial Fists hero. I think they came out well!

My Necromunda gangs will all see use in my Hive Guard army for 40k, so twenty orlocks means two units of infantry for the force. I've got sizty in total, 20 orlocks, 10 van saar, 20 escher and 10 goliaths. Plus various tanks and vehicles. 

The Dark Uprising set really captured my imagination, and I'll get some better pictures soon as thats all purple too and goes well with the floor tiles. 

So whats in store in the future for Death By Die? 

D&D has been a staple of my gaming time, so I've been jotting down campaign ideas for when the group can get back together. In the campaign I play I'll be showing off some things I've done with my character, Tovus the Visceral. More on him later though! I may also post about a previous character named Elias Azure, and talk about how I create characters for roleplaying games. 

40k will also feature as I may get involved in a gaming club campaign and also running a very narrative based campaign with an Ork warlord. Look for world building ideas, force ideas to keep things narrative and painting and conversion ideas coming soon... I also picked some Sisters up....

I'll also be running a Necromunda campaign in the future at my local club so expect some news on that when social gatherings are once more allowed. I've been slowly building up some ideas for the hive and will begin crafting those into a solid background within the next month or two.

I may showcase some Kickstarters, other hobbyists work, maybe even some Q&A's with myself and others here too. One other thing I may do is some archived White Dwarf look backs, as my collection goes back to about 180... which is over 20 years ago! 

If you have any ideas or things you'd like me to share then feel free to get in touch. I'm still affiliate for The Outpost who continue to serve as the most excellent online shop of all things tabletop. Click the link above and take a look, you'll also be helping me too! 

Death By Video

Welcome all! I've been a little quiet again, but its because I've been working on a few things..... 

Death By Die is going video! I'll still be posting here, espcially with the new Ork releases coming but expect videos once a week  maybe more when I get into the swing of it! All subscriptions are massively appreciated, if you have ideas for videos or questions for a Q&A then fire away!

D&D and Exciting News!

First of all, lets get the news out there now. You may have already seen me mention The Outpost as one of the best online stores around. 20% discount on GW prices and many other ranges, releases always arrived on time, and I've had some excellent customer service. Well Death By Die is now an official affiliate of the store! By clicking the link above to make orders, it gives me some extra juice to get more new releases, produce articles on them and in the long term, allow me to produce more content for you hungry hobbiests.

 This will also lead on to me hopefully within the next couple of months producing video content on youtube and linking on here, and possibly even doing some giveaways! And we all like free things don't we? Well I bloody do especially if it means I can spread the love and pass them over to the readers of my humble blog. This link now has a permenant home underneath my blog header so sign upto the Outpost and get shopping. 

Otherwise on Saturday (hence no Saturday Salvo) I ran my first session of D&D! Which also means I can soon start to going into what I've been doing in terms of narrative, miniatures painting and dungeon crafting for it! Set in a homebrow city called Cannahein, a party is needed to do the deeds that the City Guard cannot, such as deep investigation, averting great evil and generally being heroes!

So far we have Malekai, a human Paladin who is older and more experienced than the other party members. Mane, a Wood Elf Druid from the nearby Ardeep Forest looking to enhance his skills and learn from a respected kinsman that now advises the people of Cannahein, and a gifted Fighter called Throngir who grew up in Cannahein working in his fathers forge. The young dwarf has bested most of the City Guard already and together, the party were introduced and quickly put into action. Being sent on the northern path to meet a now late Dwarf Caravan, the party crest a hill after hearing a loud explosion to see goblins attacking the caravan, running off with some spoils and a hostage. They rout the remaning goblins and get the Dwarves safely back to the city. 

The party were then tasked going back to track the goblins, finding them eventually and discovering the goblins had a troll ally! After some trickery the party manage to get the troll and goblins to fight amongst themselves before the troll and a couple other goblins see what has happened and a fight ensues. Malekai goes down but Throngir, Mane and the rescued Borrick are able to down the Troll quickly and pick Malekai up. 

I've also got two other players lined up to play, so should make a good full party with some variety of playstyle and characters to roleplay, so looking forward to it!

In other news the 40k Escalation League continues and I've managed to pick up 2 very close wins against Genestealer Cult and Space Wolves, next step is 1250 points. I was hoping Orktober would be in full swing but alas, not even the new issue of White Dwarf (which arrived today) mentions of any new releases. I IZ ANGREE AN' WANNA KRUMP FINGS! 

I know Orktober will probably commence at the end of the month so may have to wait until the 1500 points tier to get the new Codex Orks smacking heads!

So thats it for now, look out for more posts soon and don't forget to visit the Outpost through the link at the top for some great wargaming deals!

Saturday Salvo!

Well, somewhere in the world its saturday.... Todays post has been later than planned, but theres good reason for that. 

First of all, this came in the post!

 Thats right, I got me a Rogue Trader! Had some extra bits too, two brushes and some files, all from the lovely bunch at The Outpost. They're a great site with a 20% discount on GW products and a good range of other games too, always on time with preorders which is fantastic! Current plan is to paint the Nurgle side up to sell with the codex and bits specific for them. The RT element however I'm tempted to keep and convert. An Escher head on the RT's body would surely look rather splendid methinks! I can then either use the rules for Rogue Trader in 40k or as a command squad in my Astra Miliatarum army which is Necromunda gang based... we shall see, as theres Orks on the way! 

Most of my day was spent working on these...

 

The Nurgle Rotters are probably about 60% done, I've got some minor highlighting on the skin to do, then work on the metal by adding a shade and verdigris then the leather details. Then basing and transfers then hopefully, all set for sale! The Bloater models are especially incredible, I'm so enjoying painting these and would happily paint some more up in different colours 

When did you grow up? If, like me it was in the eighties, you might be a fan of the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon. Perhaps you loved Thnndercats too? The reboot from a few years ago I very much enjoyed too. Why am I mentioning this? Well, if you take D&D and the new Thundercats, mash em together... you'd get this.

Just being released on Netflix with very little notice, I saw it mentioned and looked into it and watched the entire series today. Surprisingly I really enjoyed it too. Its the perfect type of cartoon that'll ring a little nostalgia in the adults with some good stories, but have a little kid friendly humour too making it perfect family viewing, especially when painting! 

Speaking of D&D, I got this!

While the campaign I'll be running soon is homebrewed, it is set near the Star Mounts of Faerun, set in the Forgotten Realms. The Sword Coast is nearby and the book covers a ot of the areas I'm likely to lead the party so its a great source for ideas. 

I also purchased 200 of these little tiles.

At 30mm square, I'll be mounting different numbers of them onto card and spraying grey to use as dungeon tiles for D&D. Keeping it simple for now, but when we get into it and they get used I can add more details and even look into getting some doors and props to put on there to help with the feel. 

The coming week I'll be finishing the Nurgle Rotters off then working on some Custodes bikes to finish off a commission, then get the Nurgle element of RT painted up. Then I'll see what happens as I want a couple of weeks in Orktober to build and paint some new and old ork releases! I've got a decent sized force already but I'm sure the new buggies will find a way into my collection as well as some other bits that may be released. 

Thats all for Sun.... I mean Saturday Salvo, shall post in the week with some updates!

Ongoing Heresy

Yup, you heard right. Heresy.

But what heresy you may ask? The heresy, and its a punishable offence at that, is that I've once again cast my thoughts away from Death By Die, allowing dust to gather in the corners, servitors to wander aimlessly around wondering why they haven't been programmed, and mutants are starting to gather outside. 

Well, it may feel like deja vu but lets try and get this going back at a steady rate shall we? News wise, theres been a few things. A few months were taken out of regular life as there was a family illness, yup... the 'C' word. My Primarch, Papa Rowland is well on his way to recovering though and things are getting back to normal. Whatever normal is! 

Also, I've I mentioned way back on my last post, I've started painting. A lot. I've slapped a few examples from some of the miniatures I've painted, theres some I did for a client I know that I need to pinch back to do some better images of. But here, is some Necromunda!

All the gangs so far have been fantastic to work with, the shield that comes with the Van Saar makes me want to do a few as Crusaders for my Astra Militarum force. Also, I painted this guy!

I gave this guy to my Blood Reavering friend Gav to add to his Khorne force, I even got to kill him!

Currently I'm working on a Chaos Chosen team which will be going up for sale in the next few days, I also picked up three Questoris Knights from the new Adetpus Titanicus which I'll also show some wip pics of soon. 

I've also been getting into Warhammer: Age of Sigmar Champions, a great card game by PlayFusion set in the AoS world. I've gone for Chaos and Death, favouring Death currently and Bam has opted for Order and Destruction, with a preference for Destruction. Cause Bams like that. Hes beaten me more so far but we had some close games, one of which felt like an epic battle of Warhammer which I absolutely loved. Bam kept damaging me in bursts while I slowly whittled him down, slowly regainging little bits of health where I could. He sent me to the grave but being Death, I got back out! It wasn't enough however and Bam managed to again send me packing but it was so much fun. I need more boosters! 

So thats how things are currently, as well as other things such as a 40k escalation league in which I've taken Orks, re-doing my Space Marine chapter cause, well we all like a bit of pain and getting ready to start a D&D campaign in which I'm Dungeon Mastering, and providing a lot of miniatures for. More on all these things soon! I'm hopeful about remembering my intention to do Saturday Salvo again, shall see!

Theres that deja vu again......

The Kick Start.

Nope, nothing to do with crowdfunding, this is a kickstart of my own motivation to hobby. And talk about hobbying. Its been a while since this very blog has had some consistency, but this is all about to change. After a shockingly shit year, things are slowly starting to fall into place and motivation to paint models and play games is slowly coming back. Don't believe me? Well stick this in your eyes!

 I have a whole gang of Goliath gangers almost painted up, all upto this standard. Didn't expect that did you? Whats more I have 10 Eschers on the way, plus another box worth of Necromunda to build and paint up. Why so many gangs Kev? IMPERIAL GUARD GANGS. Yeah.

See, I wasn't sure if the Guard... sorry, Astra Militarum Codex, was what fit with my idea. Then I remembered thinking the Genestealer Cult codex was perfect for a gang based army, so I shall possibly try using that codex instead of the Guard one. We shall see! Also...

The Ostermark Oracles.

If you have been a reader of this blog for many moons you may remember my old human team, the Mordheim Raiders. Well I decided to go for a bit of a change and the Ostermark colour scheme looked unusual and bright so I plumped for them. I'll post better pictures of all these plus a few other projects I've been working on in the future, this is just a wee taster!

So what exactly can you expect from Death By Die? Well, I'm trying to coax some members of my local club to contribute from time to time. Whether its through their own words or I may interview them about different aspects of the hobby, or probably both down the line. Speaking of Interviews, I will be having one soon with Blood Bowl and Necromunda rules writer James M Hewitt which I'm axcited about. I interviewed Andy Chambers a few years ago and it was an absolute joy, so interviews are something I'd like to try fit in here and there if possible. 

Dance with the DM will be chats with DM's I know personally (or have yet to meet) about the running of a D&D campaign. Advice, guides, tips, and just general fun stories from the world of Dungeons and Dragons. Expect some other roleplaying bits too, along with hopefully some narrative reports from games we play like 40k, Necromunda, AoS and even Malifaux. Who knows what else though, I'm still having ideas sporadically slap me in the face before running away before I can put pen to paper. 

Otherwise thats it for now. Expect a couple of posts a week, whether its topical, works in progress, interviews or just thoughts about tabletop gaming. If you have anything you'd like to see from the blog then comment below!

Its good to be back!

The Glory of D&D

Welcome, to a somewhat rambling yet glorious honouring post dedicated to one of the most iconic tabletop games of all time. 

Dungeons and Dragons.

Over the last few years it has regained an incredibly popular following like much of the tabletop scene. Geek and Sundry has helped with its Critical Role series, a weekly show starring voice actors playing Dungeons and Dragons and putting on an entertaining 3-4 hour session. Stranger Things has also placed the game in the public eye after capturing the imaginations of millions on Netflix. Celebrities like Vin Diesel, the late Robin Williams and Kevin Smith also among those being fans.

Its popularity is also strong at our club, the Gwent Reavers. We've gained new members through it, after myself, Gav and Bam started the Mines of Phandelver around a year and a half ago. Its always been something I've personally been interested in, just didn't realise others were too. So we got together and now we have three different sessions run by three different Dungeon Masters going on currently. And thats with a variety of different players too. Some have come to the dark side of tabletop gaming, be it miniature games or board games, some are dedicated to the D20 and the roleplaying aspect. 

So what about Dungeons and Dragons is so captivating? The depth of narrative and background are certainly an aspect that draws people in. There is such a wealth of information out there, be it tips to playing, background to set your adventures in and even guides as to how to create your own world. 

This leads on to being able to create. Like open world videogames you have a lot more ability to do what you want, even more so in tabletop roleplay as it really is just your own imagination that limits you. Not only do your stories get told, but those of the players who create characters that are a huge part of the stories being told. In fact, when dm'ing my own campaign I try to let the players tell the story while guiding them through certain events. You can plan how a certain event will play out, for example how a battle will go with a great beast but the players will always come up with ways that surprise you as a DM and have those events change. Its incredibly fascinating to see how your friends will solve different problems and ace different creatures in battle. 

One other side of D&D that is probably its strongest appeal, is the social side of it. Getting together with your mates to act out these crazy adventures is something you will absolutely love. Running jokes, how you remember certain events and recall those moments is something you have to experience. From deceiving a huge amount of cultists into following us to get out of a Dragon Cult camp, to new interesting ways to pull a kobolds body apart like a christmas cracker its been an absolute joy to partake in the game. 

Being a sufferer of insomnia, creating and adapting stories and guiding players through them has been fantastic. Character development is interesting to watch and hopefully as we play through sessions each player will see their characters grow, and not just through stat building and gaining new skills and feats. Having the characters personalities develop in front of you is incredibly rewarding as a dungeon master. 

Even though many times things you write about and plan for a session may not always happen, its still rewarding to be able to come up with these ideas, even if they never come to light. I've written backgrounds for npc's that the players have hardly talked too, but its helped me to put myself into their shoes better and react and talk more as I feel they should, and hopefully that comes across to the players immersing them even more.

In the future I may share certain ideas about the stories I've created on this blog, things that happen during sessions with other DM's (possibly even their own accounts if I can bribe them with rations and gold) and even ideas for you to use in your adventures.

Dungeons and Dragons, and many other tabletop RPG's are a hugely enjoyable and engrossing thing to do with your mates, whether you play or run the session. Go and try your hand, and have some of the best fun you'll have while rolling dice with your friends.

Many Moons Have Passed....

Well its been a while hasn't it? Probably not far off a year to be honest since I've posted on this glorious blog. Well, this time I won't be making promises to keep posting regular, as its not worked for me before. But there is hope I will! So far 2017 has been good gaming wise, and it follows a strong 2016. The Gwent Reavers, the gaming club I am part of, has had a good time with gaming and it looks to continue. Many board games have been played, 40k once again is being played, Age of Sigmar is picking up some serous momentum with members and other new games are taking root like Blood Bowl an Tanks.

We've had some new members too which is great, fresh blood is always good to sacrifice in the name of the blood god! Lewis and Adam are both in a similar spot where they've always been interested in the hobby but its only now they're starting to get stuck in and its great to see the enthusiasm. Another new member Patrick is also incredibly enthusiastic about his Necrons and its good to see some 40k kicking of again. I need to get my Genestealer Cult painted up and my Space Marines are also itching for some games... perhaps the setting of Fall of Cadia will be a good place to shoot some bolters and launch some assaults. 

As I mentioned Age of Sigmar is taking off at club although I'm the least enthusiastic about it seeming as I annot get any luck when playing! I've got Khorne Daemons, and heres how the blood thirter looks so far having started painting him yesterday. Trying to get a bit of a blend on the wings, shall be going over it with a wash and seeing how it looks 

If theres something that has got everyones attention at club, its the old faithful roleplaying game, Dungeons and Dragons. We currently have three different sessions at club with various dungeon masters and players, and every session is going well. I'm currently running Out of the Abyss, which is set in the Underdark. The story so far has been a little of my own creation, where a Derro called Buppido, who is in the book and is convinced he is an insane god of murder has killed a couple of the parties allies and they've gone to chase him down. I'll report more on this in another post as theres a lot to speak of! 

Something I've been working on occasionally over the last year is a small warband for an Inquisitor 28 style idea. Blanchitsu is one of my favourite parts of White Dwarf and above is a picture of two models I've melded together. .A large gun servitor on the left, and an adeptus mechanicus chef on the right, complete with power spatula, krootox burgers and some kind of sausage. Green stuff chefs hat too which I was proud of! I'm looking to add more when I can and get some interesting bits to play with.

Over Xmas club stalwart Morg picked up Scythe and its a really interesting game. I find the larger games a bit intimidating to play and really need to get myself in the mood to play them, but from what I have played its a really good game. Some interesting mechanics, a theme thats not in your face and done well with some really nice looking components and a rules system thats not too complicated. The amount of components are scary mind, but persevere theres a good game there!

Higgy and Jay had a large game of Tanks recently too, playing up the board starting off with a beach landing making their way into a town. If you've not played think X-Wing with a simpler system, much cheaper models but still looks really good, the boys are well into it and we're hoping to host a Tanks tournament at the end of February. 

In the future we have possible trips to Warhammer Fest, the UK Games Expo, events we'd like to host too along with many other things. I haven't even spoken about Blood Bowl yet and my Skaven team.

Like I said, no promises about lots of posts, but this is a start and we'll see how it goes!