» by Propagandroid July 2nd, 2008 at 1:38 pm » Comments (0)

In Parts One and Two I explored the mapping of the King’s Road. Now it’s time to move on to the next map used in the module, the Forest Lair. This map is divided into two parts, interior and exterior. The interior map will likely be made with Dwarven Forge, but the exterior map calls for more terrain-building hijinks, including learning how to do water and a waterfall. So, let’s get to work! Here’s the original map:

I started out by using the bendable carving tool to carve out the shape of a river. Unfortunately, I didn’t look at the Realistic Water tips before starting, so I made it too deep to use the stuff. Then I painted it a base gray to make it dark, sprayed it with glue, and laid down a bed of gravel (hint: kitty litter).

I wanted the river to have layers of color even though I wasn’t going to do much with the “water” itself, so I mixed some green paints and threw some moss onto the riverbed.

Since I’d cut the river so deep, I decided another solution was needed for the water. While browsing the hobby shop for options, I ran across some molded plastic textures, among them water. I chose the stormy water since this river was so close to a waterfall. It also helped me hide my inexperience by giving me an interesting visual that didn’t require a lot of work. So, I bought two sheets of it and traced the lines of the river to cut.

Finally, I needed to build up the fords before I locked the river in place. I got out the large fishtank rocks, which turned out to be the perfect color to contrast with the rest of the river, and built them up.

Finally I painted the area green, added flocking (which looks terrible this time around…I don’t like the technique, which created clumps and smears…it was a problem with the glue as well as the shaking), and stretched some polyfiber along the riverbed to mimic strands of moss. Finally, the two sections of water were locked into place by using an exacto knife to cut channels into the river walls. Here’s the “finished” product.

Next up I’ll be making the greenery, the summoning circle, and the pile of junk, as well as adding a cliff face and the waterfall. Whew, work’s just getting started on this piece!

» by Propagandroid June 23rd, 2008 at 3:47 pm » Comments (13)

 In the first update in my series on creating 3D terrain for Keep on the Shadowfell, I talked about getting supplies and learning how to use the foam-cutting tools and materials. I made the base for the King’s Road, as well as the road itself. Now I’m ready to show off my first completed project. I’m still a novice, but I feel like for a first time it turned out pretty good, and I’m excited to use it in play!

These are the large rocks as well as the piles of boulders and other stones that are littered across the map. If you look closely you can see the three gravestones for the graves by the side of the road. I cut them, like all these rocks, out of spare bits of foam…this one in particular looked like a loaf of bread, and I just cut these three slices off of it!

We didn’t get an engraving tool in our first hot knife set, so I went to pick one up so I could texture the rocks. I learned a few techniques by trial and error, and I’m proud of some of how some of it looks.

Getting back to the road, I painted the entire surface tan and then made a green wash, which I dabbed on in a circular pattern with a painter’s cloth. Then after it dried I sprayed the green surface with glue and sprinkled on a liberal amount of dark green turf. The picture you see below is the unshaken version, before I shook off the excess turf to make it look more blended and natural.

Next, I added all the different terrain elements. The bushes are a technique I came up with…I made a “skeleton” out of Woodland Scenics green polyfiber which is what you see in this picture.

The rocks look pretty good, and I managed to shape the polyfiber to conform to the map’s foliage areas. I’m sure some of that foliage is supposed to be trees, but I’m not too worried about it here.

The next step was to carefully pick up the polyfiber bundles (I broke a paintstick in half and used it like chopsticks) and get them ready to apply foliage. I held each one up and sprayed a thin layer of glue onto one side. Then I set it down on a paper towel, grabbed two pinches, one each in dark and light green, of loose foliage foam, mixed them together, and applied them to the top and sides of the polyfiber skeleton. I let it dry a bit so it would maintain its shape and then picked it up and placed it back on the map. The large sections of foliage around the outcroppings had to be torn into several pieces and then reassembled. The finished bushes are fairly durable, and there was no need to glue them down, so now I’ve got a ton of ready-made bushes (as well as rocks, which also aren’t glued down) to use in other terrain projects!

Here’s the final version, with the map again for reference.

And finally some character’s-eye shots of the road.

A cleric and a ranger walking into an ambush of goblins led by a bugbear…but, who’s ambushing whom?

A dwarven cleric beseeching aid from the guardian of the road.

But, he was so busy supplicating he failed to see the airborne threat!

Next it’s on to the Forest Lair. The outside of that map is going to be done on its own base like King’s Road was, as I can reuse a river map over and over again. The inside will likely be setup with Dwarven Forge instead of carving it out of foam.

Hope you’re enjoying a look at the process of my learning to cut foam in order to make my first (and possibly only) 4e game memorable!

» by Propagandroid May 23rd, 2008 at 10:20 pm » Comments (0)

Lynn Abbey has posted a moving blog with lots of pictures in memoriam.

* * * * *

This first-hand account of the discovery comes from an SCA mailing list (via Katmoonshaker).

“I write this with a heavy heart. Today (May 21, 2008), sometime
between 2 pm and 5 pm, Yang the Nauseating (Robert Asprin) passed
away.

I spoke to him around 2 pm – to confirm that I was to pick him up at
5 pm and take him to the airport. He was to go to a convention in
Ohio this weekend - MarCon. At 2 pm, everything was fine. When I
arrived at his house, he wasn’t outside, didn’t answer his cellphone,
didn’t answer his landline. Of course, as I was trying to figure out
what to do, someone came up behind me and I had to drive around the
block. (The French Quarter.) I called him again as I made the
block, but still no answer.

I *thought* I had a key to his house, but I wasn’t certain I had it
with me. I tried to call another one of his close friends (who works
in the Quarter), because I knew that he would have a key, but I
couldn’t get him. So I parked the car and dug through my briefcase
and found the key that I thought was for his house. I did get in
with the key, but it took some tugging and pushing.

I found Yang lying on his bed, with a book in one hand (a Terry
Pratchett book, no less) and his other hand by his side, his glasses
just beyond. To all extents and purposes, it looks as though he had
decided to take a nap. But I could tell he wasn’t breathing and he
had no pulse. I called 911.

The paramedics and firemen arrived quickly and were quite nice and
very good. They actually worked on him for 30 minutes, which sort of
surprised me, because there was no activity on the heart monitor when
they hooked him up. It might have been standard protocol. Whatever
the case, they tried very hard, but couldn’t bring him back.

I have been in touch with his literary agent, who in turn notified
his family. Because Yang was also an author, the news is already
spreading very quickly. I am very sorry to have to share this news
with my SCA family, but I wanted everyone here to hear it from me
before you read it on some sfnet board.

Yang was 62 years old, born June 28, 1946. He had no obvious health
problems, but he was also notorious for avoiding doctors. To those
who knew him “way back when” - Isolda, John the Bearkiller, and many
others - he was very pleased with how the SCA has developed since
the “bad old days” of freon can helms with women not allowed to fight
in the lists.

He would have come and played with us more if he could have.
- Lady Alsinda de Rochabaron”

* * * *

The Science Fiction Writers of America has this Robert Asprin obituary.

More blog posts remembering Robert Asprin.

» by Propagandroid May 22nd, 2008 at 11:56 pm » Comments (1)

It is with a very heavy heart that I pass along the news that Robert Asprin, author of many MYTHadventures books and co-creator of the Thieves’ World anthologies, died suddenly this morning. There are no details as of yet, according to Filker Tom, but when there are I’m sure they will be widespread.

I’ll post more once I get it. Right now I’m too sad to eulogize.

Update

Older Updates

There’s word at MythAdventures.net.

A more detailed account from author Bill Fawcett, through Jane Jewell at the sff.discuss.obituaries newsgroup

I just got off the phone with Bill Fawcett. He says what I thought - that this was totally unexpected. Bob seemed in great shape physically. His last checkup had been fine - no known problems.

Bill said that SFWA member Darlene Bolesny had come to pick Bob up to drive him to be Guest of Honor at MarCon. She found him slumped on the sofa with a sf book in his hand. She called 911 and the paramedics worked a long time trying to revive him but he was gone.

The sad part is that Bob was writing again. He’d finished a couple of books recently and had a number of contracts. Everything was looking up for him. He’ll be missed very much.

Jane J

Lynn Abbey has posted on the Thieves World Yahoo group:

I’m still sorting this out myself, but realizing that pretty much everyone on this list is at least peripherally aware that I was married to Bob Asprin, I thought I should pass the word…

Bob died yesterday afternoon (May 22, 2008). It was sudden and unexpected, probably a heart attack. A friend was supposed to take him to the airport as he was scheduled to be Guest-of-Honor at Marcon this weekend.

She found him on his sofa with one of Terry Prachett’s books open on his chest.

I hope he had simply dozed off and passed in his sleep.

When my thoughts are a bit more organized, I plan to post them…and some pictures from the good times…on my blog (http://www.lynnabbey.com/blog).

It’s hit metafilter, via Boing Boing.

A notice is posted on the front page of Locus magazine.

» by Propagandroid May 12th, 2008 at 11:28 am » Comments (0)

Over at Kotaku they’ve got a quote from Mark Millar of Civil War, Ultimates, and other big comic series fame. In it he gives a really bizarre reason for not wanting to work in games.