Kingdom Death: Monster Unboxing

Apologies for the late blog post! Things have been super crazy around here, and I'm just getting back into being able to work on the website and minis again. A little while back, we finally received our shipment of Kingdom Death: Monster! We are incredibly excited for this game. We have been following Kingdom Death quite adamantly (and we have a rather extensive collection of the minis), and now that there was finally a kickstarter for the game, of course we jumped on it. Only... we weren't quite expecting the true monster that showed up on our door step!

When we received notification on the shipment, we noticed it stated '20 lbs'. How big would  this thing actually be!? What was actually in it? We had Zombiecide, we had Super Dungeon Explorer, and more... but nothing ever comes close to 20 lbs. When it was finally on our doorstep, the only thought was 'this box is bigger than my cat'. Picture of cat included of course, for proof. One of the few times he wasn't actively trying to climb on top of the box.

Upon inspection after opening up the box, we noticed that one of the corners was kind of smashed in. No big deal, we reason. It's just a corner. Yes, it stinks since the game was several hundred dollars... but due to the size and weight, I certainly didn't envision the people in shipping to think it was fragile by any means. And I know that 'I <3 Poots' is the slogan for Kingdom Death, but it never fails to elicit a giggle - especially when it's nice and glossy on the side of a box. Yes, yes we do love Poots. 

And so inside, the first thing we notice is the beautiful rule book. This took several days to read through, and I even had to watch Adam Poots' video on game play to try and grasp the rules a little more. But, certainly playing would be more practical.

This is just the assortment of models that come with the box. Unfortunately, we pre-ordered on the second wave of releases, so we did not receive the limited edition models, nor did we receive the second Phoenix. Which was okay. It's not like we really needed to go that over board.... but I am feeling that twang of jealously for those who did. Oh well. After all this time, I still haven't been able to build all of the models, but there truly is a ridiculous amount of models  that come with it. You get the initial (4) survivors, (2) Intimacy models - which I'm not entirely sure how they're supposed to be intimate.. but if you want an alternative to the standard survivor, they work just fine. On top of that, there are the survivors that relate to each armor kit. If you are really into converting, you can go ahead and mix and match the dozens of options available to customize your survivor to your specific character... but I went the route of simply building according to the armor kit. I figured from the rules... with how easy (and often) you can die, and die horribly at that... that it would be pointless (personal opinion) to customize the models. Might as well just have a generic model and work towards completing the armor set, since that does grant you stat bonuses anyways. Who doesn't like stat bonuses? 

Here we see the starting survivors. Just your typical, run of the mill, terrified humans who are searching the darkness for someplace safe to call home. The story begins in which these four (and others) awaken, only to find a hungry lion stalking them in the darkness. Suddenly, the lion attacks, killing many of the humans around you. You four manage to find what is called the Founding Stone - a sharp rock in which to defend yourselves with. If you survive the encounter with the lion, you go on to create the Lantern Hoard, which will be your home for the rest of the game (unless circumstance forces otherwise). 

There are many other beasts lurking in the darkness - such as the Phoenix shown here. By hunting the monsters and collecting resources, you can improve your settlement and craft weapons and armor to take on the next hunt. If you return from the hunt in one piece, is up to you. There is a hunt phase board, the encounter board, and more available for aid in finishing phases of the game. It seems like the more that time progresses, the harder the game becomes until your settlement is finally consumed by the darkness.... but I haven't been able to win a game yet, so I wouldn't know if there is a light at the end. 

This is only a small portion of the cards that come with the game. I organized them in this particular fashion, but you might want to organize them in a way that is more comfortable for you. My biggest complaint was that the plastic tray for the cards did come cracked from shipping, but I know that isn't the company's fault. It could've happened at any point in shipping... and it's only a plastic tray. Still, a little disappointing that after all the time spent waiting, and the funds spent on the game, that the tray would come cracked. 

There are easily over a hundred different cards available to use during the game, and I certainly haven't been able to use all of them yet. The game feels incredibly massive, and I thoroughly enjoy playing it. It's a great mashup of Dark Souls and Dungeons and Dragons - roleplaying, with the knowledge that you will die, and you will die often. Most often by simple events - such as one where you come across a spring. By bad luck, you can drop dead the instant you drink. It's a fun, macabre game that certainly takes long periods of time. If you can get a few friends together over a beer, it would be great to play a phase over the course of an hour or two - and the best part is that you don't necessarily need the exact same people every single time. A new person can make a brand new character and jump right in with the party to continue the story without a problem. 

Definitely a game to check out, even despite the high cost. It's one that you will definitely get tons of playthrough on. 

Mighty Con - Halloween 2015!

This Halloween, we went to another Mighty Con convention. If anyone hasn't gone there yet, I definitely suggest you go! We've been going since... maybe the first time it ever happened? Or at least since the first year. Mighty Con happens very frequently. not only at the DuPage County Fairgrounds, but also up in Milwaukee! We personally have never made it to the Milwaukee location, but we have gone somewhat often to the DuPage location.

We were initially introduced to it by our friend Adam - who currently works with Geek Inc. Comics - which is the main sponsor of Mighty Con. Being a newly hatched painting studio, we were more than happy to have a booth there. We wanted to have some kind of exposure to the convention scene, and this spot seemed perfect. It was small, brand new, and no one was quite sure of what to expect. We had been told that it was mostly comic books, which it was. The first time, there were many comic book vendors, and a few toy vendors, such as those Pop Cap Miniatures. It was... interesting.

The very first year, there was no air conditioning in the building, and it was a blistering June/July. The building looked like it was in need of some TLC, and in fact there were a few... maintenance issues that reared their ugly heads during the day. Definitely much to the dismay of Adam - who shone as an organizer as he darted from one end of the building to another to ensure every vendor and guest was happy, and that everything moved smoothly. For a small convention, he still clearly showed pride, and absolute intent on making it a much bigger event.

We've been there several times following - even though the sunshine, snow and rain. Every single event, Adam and the other growing entourage of staff members have been absolutely helpful. We've been to some events where the staff is nowhere to be found, but at Mighty Con there is no shortage of assistance. The theme has also expanded - not only is it still comic books, but it has expanded to include video games. In fact, Extra Life has been making regular appearances, and it's great seeing the number of vendors increase every single year. In fact, there has been an animation college that made an appearance, and the artist booths are consistently growing with more and more impressive talent. Over all, Mighty Con has attracted a very consistent and appealing group of vendors and guests.

For commission painters like ourselves, our very first year we were unsure of what purpose we had there. To give it a shot, just to have convention experience as a vendor... why not? Not to mention, many comic book fans might also be interested in table top games, or need repaints of some models. Needless to say, the first year was very quiet, but we knew that it was just that - the first year.

As stated, Mighty Con has flourished exponentially since then - and just this last Halloween we networked with so many different guests and vendors, it was amazing!! Not to mention, it was a blast that since it was Halloween, all of us vendors each got a bowl of candy for the trick or treaters! No one could break the fun spirit of the convention, even while it was pouring rain outside. As always, we would be more than happy to join for another year, and we hope that new vendors keep popping in. It's been a wild ride with this convention, and we're so excited to have been a part of it since the beginning.

If you have any questions on joining Mighty Con as a vendor/artist as well, email them here. Adam and the staff have been an absolute pleasure to work with, and we hope to see you there soon.

Jammies

We recently finished up a commission - and by 'recently', we mean a week or two ago. We knew our client from our local game haunt, but he had never talked with us regarding our services. When we wanted to put more business cards up, he timidly asked if he could get our opinion on something.... that he figured we may not be interested in, but he had to at least ask.

We advertise painting, but can we completely tear down a Pathfinder Battles, 'We Be Goblins' miniature, and rebuild it to look like his friend's pathfinder character? For those not aware, this is what the miniatures look like in the box that most game stores will carry.

The miniatures are in a foil bag, housed in a plastic container. This way, you have absolutely no idea what it is that you're going to get. There is only twelve different models, but it's still entirely random of what you can receive. 

This character, aptly named 'Jammies', was supposed to be wearing pajamas, that also would double as ninja wear. It was an interesting prospect, so of course we jumped on it. It was going to be a gift for his friend, so we promised to be quiet about it until well after it was given. In fact, the most awkward part of the conversation was that this person in question was actually at the game store that day as well. There were a small number of times where our client would make a complete 180 turn in conversation, and we had to keep up to avoid suspicion as the player shopped around the store and would eventually return to gaming in the back room.

Our client, the game store clerk, was mentioning how he wished that we could use one of the 'rare' models for use, but it was very difficult to obtain - especially if he didn't know if someone had already purchased it from the display. So, we did the only thing we could. He opened up just one pack and paid for it himself, and asked if we could do the best we can on a randomized model to make it into a bedtime ninja. The model in question that we received was this little guy:

Now, I don't know much about these models, but after sculpting and painting, and checking out what could have been, we are actually very happy we were granted this exact model. The pose seemed to fit the best for our task ahead, and with how little he is actually wearing, it wouldn't prove too difficult to work conversions in green stuff on him. 

After a bit of work, this is where we were prior to priming the model. We had clipped off the spear, shaved down his hat and his arm band, and did some trimming on his grass skirt... thing. We focused more on the 'Jammies' part since that is the character's name, and also that the client seemed more focused on that than the ninja part. 

After our greenstuff version, we visited our client again to ensure that he liked it, and to verify what color scheme he was looking into. Did he still want to go the ninja route? By now, his mind had changed - the ninja was a thing of the past. He asked for a lavender... or possibly pink color scheme. It was a cute goblin! We were joking around, and then came the bunny slippers. It's a tad hard to see in the photo, but we did add a stuffed teddy bear where the spear once was. This was to hide what was left of the spear in his hand,but also to add a little more interest to the model.  He was already cute enough with bunny slippers, why not a teddy bear to cuddle? Though, since he is a goblin, the teddy bear ended up losing a limb at some point... so we sculpted some fluff sticking out. 

 By the end of it all, we painted this on the bottom. It was a little hard to letter by hand, which we're looking into other methods. We tried to make it look like the original font there... but we're not entirely miracle workers. We just wanted to include that this little guy is literally the only one of his kind, so hopefully the receiver will make sure to take extra care of him. 

When we returned the finished goblin to our client, he was absolutely ecstatic. Apparently it was going to be her birthday in a few days,giving him just enough time to be able to wrap it up for her. We truly do hope she loved it! We had a blast working on him, and definitely opened our eyes to how hard some conversions can be, but also how fun it is. We will definitely have to do more in the future.