Ruins & Ratmen cards - test run

I finally had the opportunity to do a test print of the cards, having just acquired a corner rounder, and apart from some issues of black ink overprint that I have to look to, it was smooth sailing. Print looks good, texts are legible, and even the radius of the corner cutting tool worked out. The hardest thing seems to be to estimate the sizes of the images of the figures, as they look the best at slightly smaller than the figures actually are. Also with this method there's no chance for last minute adjustments when placing the images, the process takes the .psd file as it is, and places it to the preordained coordinates. So any cropping and scaling has to be done to the PhotoShop file, and then hope for the best. But I'm already working on a guide to help me visualize the proportions and placement of the figures.

Bracing - New Special Rule for Song of Blades and Heroes

Although the rules of Song of Blades and Heroes should not differentiate between individual weapons, I still felt that there should be something different between say models with halberds and other pole arms, and with sword-and-shield infantry. However, the solution should be simple, so any kind of 'reach' mechanic was out of the question. Then it struck me; what I want is essentially opposite of the existing rule 'Dashing', a model that if better off when it's charged, rather than charging itself.

Bracing (3)

Models having the Bracing Special Rule get +1 to its Combat for the first round of hand-to-hand combat when an enemy moves in melee range. If the model is already in melee, and a new opponent joins the fray, Bracing gives no benefit. Models that may have this Special Rule include troops equipped with pikes or polearms, or otherwise have long reach to intercept a charging enemy.

Goblin Wolfrider

5 days in a flu, not getting anything worthwhile done. So here's some rare last year's vintage:

Mercenaries and Independent characters

A rough draft:

In addition to the regular members of a warband, each team may also employ the services of some external muscle, or their exploits may draw the attention of powerful individuals with agendas of their own, to help battling some particular foe. In game terms, these are called Mercenaries and Independent characters. Although at first glance there seems to be a little difference between the two, the mechanisms of how and why they fight are very different.

Mercenaries
Mercenaries fight for money, and little else. They can be hired with gold the warband has gathered, at a 'per battle' -fee. That means a beginning warband with no gold cannot employ one. Mercenaries can be used to 'round up' a warband, giving it abilities that it would not otherwise have, such as ranged attacks or magic. Mercenaries do not gain experience nor advance, and when cut down or ran off do not roll for injury but retire instead. Mercenaries do not count as the members of the warband regarding morale, although a mercenary receiving a Gruesome death will affect the warband it's fighting for normally. The fee for hiring a mercenary depends on the point value of the figure, and the value of the warband hiring, so that  a warband with lower rating will pay less to hire a mercenary, so they can be used to even the odds for an underdog. (Table? Formula?) Mercenaries generally do not care who they're fighting for, but some may have restrictions against certain species of factions. Mercenaries have a general title (although they can be given names, as well), and different warbands may simultaneously employ the services of a different Ogre Thug, for example.

Independent characters
Unlike mercenaries, Independent characters are named individuals, and only one of each may be at the game at any time. Also unlike mercenaries they cannot be just flat out hired, but rather may be fielded if the warband is fighting a foe that is also an enemy of the Independent character. Furthermore, the warband that wishes to gain an Independent character at their side should be an underdog in the coming battle, and the point value of the Independent should not be enough to tip the scales. Some Independent characters are faction-specific, and there should be at least one suitable Independent character available for each player. Like mercenaries, Independent characters do not gain experience. If they run away, they can be used in subsequent battles, bit killed Independents don't return in a specific campaign. They also do not care about the goals of the warband, and cannot be ordered to hold objectives and gather treasure and such. (Might have random objectives of their own?)

Hey, look! A goblin!

I was going to start making faction-based Special Rules lists for my Ruins & Ratmen campaign for Song of Blades and Heroes, but then realized that since many of the factions contain figures with firearms, I would most likely have to do all the lists and balancing again after the Song of Hammer and Forge, the dwarven sourcebook has been released. So umm... Hey, look! An oldskool goblin!

Song of Spreadsheets and Data Merge - part II

Originally, I envisioned my cards quite simple, with clear, simple graphics and distinctive colour schemes to differentiate between factions. Most likely I was influenced by Civilization V, which uses similar approach with it's troop markers to a great effect. I also had to keep in mind that although the text imported from the spreadsheet could be coloured, it had to be the same colour from card to card, which restricted my choices somewhat. It also meant that I had to choose colours that would not conflict with the colours of the factions. Black was an obvious choice, and to complement it I decided to use white as well. This way, using black text on light colour and white on dark, I could make the most important aspects of the figure, Quality and Combat ratings, really stand out. At one point I contemplated even using dice pips instead of numbers for these ratings, but could not find a font that would have worked. Maybe for the best, too. And in addition to the colour scheme, I decided to add a small image to each different factions. Some of these are from clip arts, some are from fonts and such, and a couple I had to draw myself.

After a while, the pure colour design started to feel a bit bland, and although it did also have practical advantages, namely that the cards would not need bleed along the edges, and that it would be easiest to blend an image to a white background, I began contemplating using some background colour. However, no single colour, with the exception of some sort of gray would have worked with all the different colours needed, and gray would need be textured, and in that case I could as well use a photograph anyway. So I began dabbling with some neurtal background, ended up taking a photo of one of my Hirst Arts buildings, and that was it, really. After a few tweaks, which involved taking another photo to the background of the "image frame" (and adding a heavy dose of drop shadows (actually, Outer Glow), hurrr), I had reached the point where I was content with the appearance of the cards.

Next step involved making the master document for the data merge, to bring all the separate stuff together. This involved going back to the spreadsheet document, and making sure all the image paths and names and background bits were in place. It also involved blowing dust from the trusty ol' Canon, as I needed some new, flat side-shots of my figures, to do some test runs with the system. I had tested the placement of the texts when making the faction backgrounds, but this stage involved putting the actual markers for the spreadsheet data in place. (The picture on the left is actually a hoax, as the format and fonts of the text at this stage are actually all the same as they need to be in the final document, I just wanted to make them stand out a bit more.)

So when everything was in place, it was time to hit 'GO', and watch the fireworks. Well, sorta. But although the whole process had been more involving than I had anticipated, it also seemed to work very well. Provided, of course, that I would have images of particular size and with transparent backgrounds ready. Which will involve countless hours of drawing bezier curves for the clipping paths on the photos of my figures. Uh, and taking the photos in the first place. Which would mean I would have to finish the figures first, right? Oh my... But still, I think the end results are worth the effort.

 

Song of Spreadsheets and Data Merge

As I was leafing through the Song of Blades and Heroes rulebook, the idea of creating cards for each of my figures surfaced. Not only would they look nice, but they would became handy when presenting the game to new players, or to quickly muster forces for an impromptu game. As my day job involves desktop publishing and digital printing, manufacturing the cards themselves would not be the problem. However, individually typing each and every card seemed an arduous task, not to mention the possibilities of errors in punching each value manually. Luckily, there are alternatives.

Ever since CS4, InDesign has had the Data Merge function, a rudimentary method for importing spreadsheet data into the layout, in order to create varied, personified flyers and such. It eliminates the need to type repetitive, similar values over and over again. Granted, the system is quite basic, but then again, figure cards for SoBaH are not very complex either. Name of the figure, Quality rating, Combat value, and any Special Rules and Point Value of the figure would be enough. Few trials with the method confirmed that the system could do what I needed, and even more so, as I could import images to the cards this way also, but there was a snag: InDesign understands only a limited type of spreadsheet data, namely .csv or .txt formats, and although Ganesha Games has quite a handy online system for building SoBaH warbands, it does not output data in a format that would be useful to me. I also tried to find Excel-based builders online, but those I came up with had the same limitations, and eventually I decided that it would be easier to build one from the ground-up rather than trying to reverse-engineer an excisting one.

I chose OpenOffice so that I could use the same files both at home and at work, since I'm using those facilities for the final print run, and most likely need to make some last minute adjustments. I had not dabbled with spreadsheet programs much in the past, but fortunately there are good guides online, and the internal Help -function in OpenOffice is not bad, either. So, although I felt a bit overwhelmed in the beginning, I soon was up and running, and even had to continually remind myself to not add features that were really not essential. And, fun as it was, I was not ready to spend any more time with the program than absolutely necessary.

Example of the spreadsheet in use. Some columns, such as those showing the point values of each Special Rules are deliberately hidden.

Eventually, I reached the point where I needed to call quits. I had a spreadsheet that was quite handy with generating a small warband. It calculates the point values accurately, makes easy selecting the warband/faction the figure belongs to, and provided there's an image of the figure ready and in proper format, places that neatly to the card with one simple command. There might be some tinkering to be done with the sheet, to make updating it with new Special Rules easier, for example. But for now, I'm content with what I've got. And so, with the function out of the way, it's was time to concentrate on the form.

Song of Ruins and Ratmen

Ever since I first encountered miniature gaming in the mid-eighties, I've been fascinated with it. And although I have actually gamed precious little - a bit of 3rd ed. Warhammer Fantasy Battles, even less Rogue Trader, Blood Bowl, Space Hulk or Car Wars - it's a hobby I always seem to return to. However, despite searching far and wide, I haven't found a niche or a ruleset I'm comfortable with.

Or maybe I should say that I had not found it. One of the reasons I think is my eclectic taste in miniatures. I might like the odd figure from certain range, but not enough to start collecting a faction. Or then the ruleset has problems that would require some extensive reworking, something that despite my tinkering nature I was not ready for in the scale needed.

I knew there were some generic systems, but I initially thought them too simplistic to fulfill my needs. That is, until I actually decided to bite the bullet, and downloaded the basic rules for Song of Blades and Heroes by Ganesha Games. I had read some good reviews and battle reports, and was just in time for the new, revised edition of the basic rules. I have to say I was instantly hooked. Simple, yes, but deceptively so, with enough variation and fiddly bits to satisfy the tinkering heart of mine. And although you can play SoBaH straight from the book, since it contains ready-made roster of common fantasy figure profiles and a limited campaign system, I saw it as a toolkit for creating a really personal game. And since I've alway liked the theme if not the execution of a skirmish-level game about a certain ruined city wherein several small bands of warriors seek treasure and battle each other - well, you probably can guess where this is heading...

Future posts containing the Ruins & Ratmen vignette will follow my efforts to develope this idea further. I have no intention to attempt a 1:1 conversion, but rather an 'inspired by' -version. Also I have no commercial aspirations whatsoever with this project, everything presented here is ultimately done for my personal enjoyment. Which is a strange word to use, as in the next post in this series, we will be taking a look into OpenOffice Calc. Song of Spreadsheets and Data merge? Stay tuned!

It's Alive!

Considering the title of this blog, there was not really choice about the header of the 'Hello World' -post! Sadly, I've never drawn, modeled or painted a flesh golem or anything related to the titular monster, so this first post must remain a text-only enterprise. So, what's going to be in here? Mostly, this little space in the 'net will be dedicated to my various hobbies, most of which will have something to do with fantasy gaming. Model painting and sculpting, terrain building, houserules, drawings both past and present... The main purpose of this blog will be to provide inspiration for myself, and I sincerely hope that it will not devolve into the albatross on my neck like last endeavor in this field did.