PyMapper Version 8 Available

PyMapper version 8 is now available. It looks like there is some functionality to use your maps for real time roleplaying with the implementation of Fog-of-War. It still has all the useful settings and features of prior versions as well.

 

You can get the latest version of PyMapper here and the PyMapper web site is here. In past posts there were comments indicating my PyMapper post should be updated because the program was no longer supported. I could find no evidence to support this claim then and I certainly can't find any now. For the record, there are several links to the tile scans here.

Posted with Blogsy

Dropzone Commander

Apparently, Dropzone Commander has been out for several months, but I was just made aware of it this past week. The game is produced by Hawk Wargames. I don't really need a new miniatures game to play in a different scale than I am already gaming in, but there are some intriguing aspects to the game. The unit models are nice, but the buildings are a big draw for me. The game is scaled at 10mm which is very close to the 12mm scaling for my click base Battletech figures and these building would look fantastic on my table. They may even work well for 15mm.

 

There is a downside though, the buildings are extremely expensive and you have to assemble them yourself. The quality looks to be very high, but they will probably be out of reach for most gamers. On the other hand, Hawk Wargames has made image panels of the buildings available for free download from their website and they look very nice for card buildings. Look in their downloads section.

 

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Banners on the Cheap

You may have noticed the playing surface we used on our X- Wing game. It is actually a banner printed from images taken by Hubble. A company named Banners on the Cheap (www.bannersonthecheap.com) prints banners using all sorts of images. They even make roleplaying maps. The 4' x 4' banners I purchased cost $22 plus about $6 for shipping. I have ordered a total of four of these play mats. So far my experience with this company has been very positive and I highly recommend them.

 

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Battletech

I finally got to play a real game with some of the newly mounted WizKids Mechwarrior minis on the terrain I bought several years ago. The map is a standard map printed in a larger hex size using Heavy Metal Map. This game was mostly like the old days where we just pounded the plasma out of each other until it was time to quit. All mechs wound up with their center torso's completely ventilated and destroyed.

Matakishi's Tea House

  So I was doing a little surfing and came accross Matakishi's Tea House. This person has a bunch of very well built terrain and painted miniatures. If nothing else it serves as a great resource and inspiration. There are detailed instructions on building many of the terrain pieces for those interested. Of particular interest to myself are the inner city, waterfront and Carentan buildings as well as an excellent article on converting toys into technicals for modern conflicts.

15mm DBA Camps

DBA is one of my favorite games and accessorizing the armies with camps is part of the fun. Baueda Wargames makes some very nice camp kits. A few months ago I finished two of the camps I had gotten at some previous HMGS convention and decided to show them off here. I am also including a camp of my own design that was made from the Hirst Arts small brick mold.

Baueda DBA3 Roman Marching Camp

Baueda DBA4 Egyptian Camp

Stone Wall Camp - My design using Hirst Arts Small Brick mold

BTR

My New Docks Have Arrived

After seeing Doctor Merkury's docks and how well they worked in his pulp games, I needed some too. He found his at a hardware store (I think) after Christmas one year on sale and got a great deal on them. The brand name is Lemax and after looking at about a half dozen different places that sell this type of stuff this year and every year since (and not finding any) I decided to purchase them from the internet. I ended up with 7 pieces which should cover any 'down at the docks' pulp scenarios and several others that come to mind as well. I think they look great!

Skulls & Barrels & Chests Oh My Or What I have Been Working on the Past Two Weeks

A couple of weeks ago I needed something to work on that I could do while on the road. Miniatures don't do well for me on the road, but the boxes, crates, doors, skulls and sacks I had cast from my Hirst Arts molds would fit the bill. I only got snippets of time here and there, but I just put the final dull coat on today and here they all are. All of this stuff is for my dungeon layout, but a good bit can be used in many other games including Where Heroes Dare!

My Latest Aquisition

I have been looking for 28mm shipping containers for various scenarios and general background terrain for some time and there isn't much to choose from. Basically you can make card stock versions or Rackham makes a few for their AT-43 range. Recently I realized O scale model trains are around 1:48 scale and the intermodal shipping containers looked like they would fit the bill. I purchased 14 containers from Ebay and just opened them tonight. I believe they will work just fine.

D&D In my Hirst Arts Dungeon

... Speaking of Hirst Arts and having read Dr. Merkury's comment on a Wolfenstein game, I decided to post some pictures of a D&D game from a while ago at our local game store, Six Feet Under Games. Dr. M, let me know if this is enough dungeon material for a game .....

I created a group of modular tiles for larger rooms. The extras really make a difference, but don't they always. One example layout with the pieces available.

The adventurers approach carefully.

The spiral staircase entrance.

 The altar room.

 The crypt.

 The cell block. And ... a block trap. Ooooh nice!

 Doh, and another one. This time it got someone.

 This can't be good!

A rolling boulder trap like in Indiana Jones.

 Bar fight!

 Another entrance or tansition piece with a well.

Mythical Mayan Temple by JBMallus

I have been a long time Hirst Arts fan and recently went on the Hirst Arts discussion board to do some catching up. I happen to notice a Mayan Temple designed and built by JBMallus and was sufficiently impressed enough that I had to share it here. The original posting is here with a much better picture. This would make an excellent Pulp center piece amongst other things.