Dante's Contemplates Suicide

After being imprisoned for several years and with no hope of escape or a pardon, Dante's sees suicide as his only way out.

“By dint of constantly dwelling on the idea that tranquility was death, and if punishment were the end in view other tortures than death must be invented, Dante's began to reflect on suicide, Unhappy he, who, on the brink of misfortune, broods over ideas like these! Before him is dead sea that stretches in azure calm before the eye, but he who unwarily ventures within its embrace finds himself struggling with a monster that would drag him down to perdition.”

Villifort's Reflections

Villifort was the judge that had sent Dante's to prison. It was not for his part in any plot or crime, but to protect Villifort's father from a plot and assassination that he had taken part.

“He (Villifort) had frequently called for capital punishment on criminals, and owning to his irresistible eloquence they had been commended, and yet the slightest shadow of remorse had never clouded Villiforts' brow, because they were guilty; at least he believed so; but here was an innocent man whose happiness he destroyed: in this case he was not the judge, but the executioner.”

Reflections of Caderousse

Caderousse was a neighbor of the Dante’s and was present, at least in body (Caderousse had drank most of the bottle of wine Danglars had purchased) when Danglars and Fernand thought of ways to betray Edmond Dantes.

“Caderousse was restless and uneasy and had shut himself up with two bottles of black current brandy in hopes of drowning reflection. But he did not succeed, and became too intoxicated to fetch any more drink, and yet not so intoxicated as to forget what had happened. With elbows on the table he sat between the two empty bottles, while specters danced in the light of the un-snuffed candle-specters such as Hoffmann screws over his punch-drenched pages, like black fantastic dust.”

Top Ten Dungeon Crawl Board Games

Back in October I made a post on “Six Print and Play Dungeon Crawl Games”. Recently I came across Top Ten Dungeon Crawl Board Games site, where ten dungeon crawl board games are rated, reviewed, and discussed.

These games are not free or print and play and will have to be purchased and although the title suggests that they are all board games there is a card game listed within the mix. By the way, this game “Dungeon Crawler” is a solo game that can be expanded to allow more players to participate.

Reaper Octopus Aberration

This is the first miniature that I have completed from Reapers Aquatic Familiars II. I had previously completed a Morey Eel from their #P02948B which included the Dragon Fish and Morey Eel. Other miniatures in this familiar pack are a crab, mermaid, and an aberration which looks a large fish with a diver’s helmet on its head.

The Chateau D’If

“The commissary of police as he traversed the anti-chamber, made a sign to two gendarmes, who placed themselves one on Dantes right and the other on his left. A door that communicated with the Palasis de Justice was opened, and they went through a long range of gloomy corridors, whose appearance might even have the boldest shudder.”

The Count of Monte Cristo

Reaper Miniatures Familiar Packs

I own two sets of Reapers Familiars packs and am planning on ordering two additional packs in early January. Reaper offers 18 of these familiar packs. These packs usually contain between five and six 25mm miniatures of various types. You will find creatures of all sorts like imps, demons, dragons, monsters, aquatic life and other forms of wildlife.

Many of these miniatures are whimsical in nature, but some depict wildlife in a natural, if not in a cute way. There are also two sets of Warlord miniatures to use in your Warlord RPG’s.

I find these packs a very economical way to obtain miniatures of various types. Each familiar pack gives you several different types of creatures to work with miniatures that I might not have otherwise had an opportunity to work with.

Although I don't see myself having to purchase all these packs I can see myself availing myself to several of Reapers familiar packs in the upcoming year.

My War Games by Conflict

Here is another list of my prepared war-games, this time by conflict. It is always more fun and rewarding to play a war game once you have thoroughly researched the conflict. I want to be able to see the conflict from either side. Of course history is always through the eyes of the victor, but through thorough research you can take a peek into the reality of the conflict.  Here are some starting points to that research:

Seven Years War

Battle of Lobositz

American Revelation

The Battle of Brandywine Creek

The Battle of Germantown

American Civil War

The Battle of Brier creek

The Battle of Honey Springs

Spanish and American War

The Battle Manila Bay

World War II

Sink the Bismarck

The Malta Convoy(solo)

The Battle for Malaya

Unternehmung 25

Memorable Quotes from the Count of Monte Cristo#4-Danglars and Fernand

“’I know not why you meddle said Fernand, seizing Danglars arm; “But this I know, you have some motive of personal hatred against Dantes, for he who himself hates is never mistaken in the sentiments of others.’”

December Projects an Update

As often is the case I have gotten off track this month and instead of working on this month’s projects I have started some new projects. To be fair, several of this month’s projects are underway; however I don't see many of them coming to fruition this month.

So what got my attention; some old Reader Miniatures? These are some of the first miniatures I purchased when getting into the hobby. Among the other miniatures I purchased from Reader were two of their familiar packs. These two packs contain several aquatic creatures, of mostly, the whimsical type. I had and still do like all things that are fantastic and whimsical.  Although there are many fantastic miniatures available, there aren't many I would consider whimsical.

I will make posts on these miniatures as they are completed and I am making plans for next year and will be sharing these plans with you in very near future. To think, the 2015 is only two weeks away. 

The Battle of Gimley’s Mine Game Helps

For those of you who might have downloaded the Battle of Gimley’s mine game. I have created a “helps” form. The form can be found here.

The Singularities of the Count of Monte Cristo #2-Influential Chemists

Abbe Faria, one of the abbes’ mentioned in the Count of Monte Cristo was a noteworthy chemist in his own right and was said to be influenced either through his readings or by association with the following chemists. The Abbe Faria read a lot of the work of Antoine Lavoisier the reported father of modern chemistry. “It is generally accepted that Lavoisier's great accomplishments in chemistry largely stem from the fact that he changed the science from a qualitative to a quantitative one.”

 Pierre Jean Cabanis was said to be an imitate friend of Abbe Faria. In thus mentioning this fact it is assumed that the Abbe gleaned a lot of his understanding of chemistry from his association and possibly his collaborating with Cabanis.

The Count of Monte Cristo had his tutorage under Abbe Faria where he learned the fundamentals of chemistry. The Count seems to have learned his lessons well and whether he received other instruction or studied further in this field is uncertain, but he did have an ability to create several portions that he used affectively on several occasions. 

The Battle of Gimley’s Mine-Battle Report

The Battle of Gimley’s Mine is a quick and easy to learn game to play and play. By the time you play through the five rounds you understand, quite completely, the games dynamic. I played the game times several times, switching back and forth from and aggressor to the defender. Both sides have their advantages and disadvantages. There is very little skill or strategy involved in the game play. It is more a game of chance that used up to three 6-sided dice. I do recommend reading the back story before playing the game, It gave the game purpose and made the playing the game a bit more interesting.

Memorable Quotes from the Count of Monte Cristo #4

“The young sailor (Dantes) jumped into the skiff, and sat down into the stern sheets, with the order that he be put ashore at La Canebiere. The oarsmen bent to their work, and the little boat glided away as rapidly as possible in the midst of the thousand vessels which choke up the narrow way which leads between the two rows of ships from the mouth of the harbor to the Quai d’ Orleans.”

The Count of Monte Cristo

Kappler Mill & Lumber Co. Tutorials

The Kappler Mill & Lumber Co is a supplier of scale lumber that is often used for building structures for model train layouts.

Kappler Mill & Lumber Co is offering several free tutorials for projects. Most of them seem to be for the HO scale, but most of the tutorials offer dimensions that could be scaled in other model train scales. Some of the tutorials are more detailed than others and there are tutorials for structures and rail cars.

I was drawn in by their Building a Footbridge and Small Wooden Freight Station articles. These projects look like they would fun to build and be easy to assemble.

Memorable Quotes from the Count of Monte Cristo #3 (Danglars)

Danglars was the supercargo on the same ship that Dantes was captain and was one of conspirators that had hatched the idea of denouncing Dantes to the authorities as being an agent of Bonaparte. This quote was made after his plan of denouncing Dantes had come to fruition.

“Danglars was one of those men born with a pen behind his ear, and an inkstand in place of a heart.”

My Winter Reading List-War Stories

When I started my search for military stories I was rather surprised with the titles and authors that I came up with. Although I have read military themed stories before I usually read them in a mix with other types of stories. This reading list is a collection of military stories from multiple conflicts and eras..

• Sea Hounds, Lewis Freeman
• Battle of Dorking, George Chesney
• Interesting Back Story about the Battle of Dorking
• Battle Pieces, Herman Melville
• The Blockade Runners by Jules Verne
• Soldiers Three, part1, Rudyard Kipling
• Soldiers Three, part2, Rudyard Kipling
• The Road to Frontenac, Samuel Merwin

The Singularities of the Count of Monte Cristo #1-A Five Thousand Volume Library

‘“I had nearly five thousand volumes in my library at Rome, but after reading them over many times I found out that with one hundred and fifty well-chosen books a man processes, if not a complete summary of all human knowledge, at least all that a man need really know.”’

Abbe Faria, The Count of Monte Cristo

Memorable Quotes from the Count of Monte Christo #2 (Danglars)

“Danglars was a man of twenty-five or twenty-six years of age, of unprepossessing countenance, obsequious to his superiors, insolent to his subordinates; and this, in addition to his position as responsible agent on board, which is always obnoxious to the sailors, made him much disliked by the crew as Edmond Dantes was beloved by them.”
The Count of Monte Christo

The Face of Battle Scenery and Terrain Directory

The Face of Battle Terrain page features a large collection of links to manufactures and suppliers of scenery and terrain pieces in multiple sizes ranging from 15mm to 28mm. Although there a few dead links here, overall this page is a great resource!

Memorable Quotes from the Count of Monte Cristo #1

““Why, you see Edmond,’ replied the owner, who appeared more comforted at every moment, “we are all mortal, and the old must make way for the young.”’

The Count of Monte Cristo

Midst Battle's Din

Midst Battle's Din features two pages of rules for small scale skirmishes. These rules are fitting for battles that use between 10 to 50 miniatures and for skirmishes being fought between the years of 1745-1856.

Midst Battle's Din includes two pages of rules and charts to get you started. There are charts for moral, firing and shooting and rules that dictate attributes of warriors, how the turns should be handled, and statistics on movement and how hand-to hand combat should be interpreted. There is also an extra and optional rules section where special attributes are defined and discussed.

Giant Conger Eels

“The four adventurers had just quite the Flying Fish and were walking toward an ancient grass-grown wreck when they became startled by the appearance of a snake like head and a pair of fierce gleaming eyes that had, quite suddenly protruded from a gap in the ships side.

Within moments the conger eel, with truly gigantic proportions, emerged from its hiding place and was slithering, boldly toward the four adventures. This wasn't the only conger eel to do so, thus attracted by the strong light from the Flying Fish forty or so eels, some up to 18 feet long came fiercely towards the four almost over whelming the four.”

The Log of the Flying Fish, Harry Collingwood

Recent War Games Vault Order

This is my first order of digital media from the WarGameVault is online source of war-games, game-rule and scenarios, RPG’s, short fiction, ETC. Most of the content featured on this site are offered as PDF’s, but I did notice one or two e-texts in various e-text formats.

Last night I downloaded the following titles:

01 The Astonishing Adventures of the Handlers, by Eumitto

I might say that the title of this text caught my eye, but really it was its price of 50 cents that made the deal. I didn’t know what to expect. I knew someone thought it was good enough to publish, so I took a chance. Although I have yet to read the text, I was surprised as to its format. For 50 cents I received a twenty-six page graphic novel; the same kind of graphic novels that I have paid up to $12 for. The novel is of the fantasy genera.

Ace Goodknight and Penny Dreadfull: The Case of the GreenElephant, by Irrational Number Line Games, LLC

Ace Goodknight and Penny Dreadfull: The Case of the Green Elephant is 39 pages of game rules that could be played by multiple players or solo. Towards the end of the publication there are about ten pages of templates that can be printed out and used in play of the game. It looks interesting.

Land Ships, Set #1, Mini-Game #90, by Avalon Game Company

This is my first game from Avalon. There are six individual PGF’s that contain, rules, counters, map, player helps, ETC. This is a hefty game; the map alone will take six pages and there are 36 pages of rules. This game will take some preparation before it can be played.

Air Ships 1, Mini-Game #116, by Avalon Game Company

Air Ships is not a standalone game, but an expansion for Avalon’s Land Ship game. This game includes a map and counters, and some rules, but relies on the rules for the Land Ship game for its impetus.

Midst Battle's Din, by Morningstar Productions

Two pages of rules to used with your 1745-1856 era miniatures.

How to Create Great Fantasy Maps (Even if You Can't Draw), by Draken Games
This is a very interesting and enlightening pamphlet in which I will have more say.

My Games List

Here is a list of the games I have printed, have cut out, and are ready for play. I hope to get a few more finished before winter sets in. These games will give us something to do when the weather has turned nasty. I will be making additional posts or battle reports once a game is played.

1. Escape of the Dead, fantasy and horror, solo tile game
2. Planet Run, SCIFI, solo board game
3. Bad Grandmas, horror, two person card game
4. Sink the Bismarch, WWII-military, one or two person board game
5. The Battle of Greenbrier River, ACW military, two person board game
6. The Battle of Manila Bay, Spanish and American War-military, two person board game
7. The Malta Convey, WWII military, solo, pen and paper and dice game
8. The Battle of Gimleys Mine, fantasy and horror, solo board game
9. The Sword of Valhalla, fantasy and horror, solo board game
10. The Last Case, horror, solo pen and paper game
11. Santa Clause & the Goblin War, fantasy,  two person board game
12. Utopia Engine, science fiction, solo pen and paper and dice game
13. Postcard from the Revolution: The Battle of Brandywine Creek, American Revolutionary War, two person board game
14. Battle of Lobositz, Seven Years War, two person board game
15. The Battle of Germantown, American Revolutionary War, two person board game

Projects or December

The holiday season almost upon us and with the holidays is some time off and winter weather that May keep me more home bound than I care to be; thus the expanded project list.

1. Ykreol et le Pere Noel miniature This miniature accompanied their Nativity set 
2. 7 Dreadfleet Grand Alliance & Cogs ships and Dreadfleet Graveyard Leech Wyrm (sea serpent) 
3. Continue to work on Ykreol Nativity set 
4. Cut out the Battle of Dorking print and play game components 
5. Cut out the Battle Honey Springs print and play game components 
6. Cut out paper dragon or haunted bungalow