Two Games fit for the Season

I am a little late getting this to post and had wanted to make this post well before Christmas, but with only two days past Christmas day I feel that this post is still within the reason.

Santa and Goblin War

This map and counter game was first featured in Draken Games Catalog #6 and now is available in Draken’s Mini-Game Compendium. The Santa and Goblin War game is two-page print and play game, which includes 48 counters, about a page of instructions, and a full page map (playing board). The Santa and Goblin War game is a game where Elf and Goblin slog it out with snowballs. That’s right, no death here, just time for a “hot bath and hot coco”.

There are three different types of units for each faction. For the Elf’s there are Elves, Elves on reindeer, and Polar bears as elite units. The Goblin faction includes Goblins, Goblins on wolves, and Evil snowmen. These units are represented on the counters. The counters include movement and break values for each unit and the map includes terrain elements for woods, hills, river, bridge, and Santa House. These elements effect the movement values.

Santa and Goblin War game is a turn based game works on a point system, which is calculated after ten rounds. Points are award to the faction who controls the different sectors on the map after the tenth round.

Sleigh Wars: Xmas Mayhem

Sleigh Wars was first published back in 1985. I had been looking for the download link for my Sink the Bismarck post. I entered the link into my browsers address-bar and instead of getting the Sink the Bismarck game I was led the Sleigh Wars game. Someone realized their mistake and pointed the link back to the correct file. I have tried to find a link for this game, but to no avail. Under the odd circumstances in which this game was acquired I thought that I must make a post and review the game.

Sleigh Wars is a print and play board game that can be played by two to four players. A four player game is recommended. The PDF includes a large game board that is printed from two separate pages, five player aids, and a set of counters representing movement, some of the weapons, presents to be delivered, and four sleighs. In addition, there are two pages of game rules. There are three tables featuring crash rules, weapons and combat, and range modifier attributes. Sleigh Wars and offers multiple weapons systems such as a Turkey Cannon, Xmascette, Lasers, Brandy Flamer, Snowstormer and a "Christmas pudding Bomb". The game can also be played with 3-D movement rules. The object is to deliver six presents to six homes before your opponents do.

Penguins VS Santa Claus Army - Epic Battle

Merry Christmas

Epic Battle Simulator: 11,000 Penguins vs 4,000 Santa Clauses

An Epitaph to Allan Quatermain - A Host of Characters

Sir Henry Curtis being with Quatermain to the end gives these remarks as an epitaph to his dear friend and comrade Allan Quatermain:

“And so passed away a character that I consider went as near perfection as any it has ever been my lot to encounter. Tender, constant, humorous, and possessing of many of the qualities that go to make a poet, he was yet almost unrivalled as a man of action and a citizen of the world. I never knew any one so competent to form an accurate judgment of men and their motives. ‘I have studied human nature all my life,’ he would say, ‘and I ought to know something about it, ‘and he certainly did.

He had but two faults--one was his excessive modesty, and the other a slight tendency which he had to be jealous of anybody on whom he concentrated his affections. As regards the first of these points, anybody who reads what he has written will be able to form his own opinion.”

Allan Quatermain, H. Rider Haggard

John Gribardsun-A Host of Characters

Gribardsun beginnings date back 12000 years before Christ and to the origins of the Khokarsan civilization. “Gribardsun’s ebony hair hung in his face, covering his piercing gray eyes, as he sat alone in his room, starring at the floor brooding…

Eridaneans and Capellenas. Some sort of competing secret societies, so-called because their membership, rituals, and purpose were clandestine?

Perhaps related to the Illuminanti? The Rosicrucians? Those groups were supposedly interested in gathering secret knowledge from all over the world…

He thought of the importance of the number nine in Khokarsan culture, and the nine-sided temple of Kho. The Door of the Nine, which gave unto the temple. And the nine primary aspects of Kho.”

The Wild Huntsmen, Tales of the Wold Newton Universe, Philip Jose Farmer

Salvation Army Band

This is another one of those 1/87 miniatures collections that I recently unearthed, finding it at the bottom of a box of miscellaneous HO gauge model railroad things that I had packed away. As you can see, from the packaging, it was offered my Thomas miniatures, a now defunct suppliers of HO gauge figures. The set includes four figures: three male figures with instruments and one-woman figure.

A Description of Allan Quatermain-A Host of Characters

“Imagine to yourself a small, withered, yellow-faced man of sixty-three, with thin hands, large brown eyes, a head of grizzled hair cut short and standing up like a half-worn scrubbing-brush—total weight in my clothes, nine stone six—and you will get a very fair idea of Allan Quatermain, commonly called Hunter Quatermain, or by the natives ‘Macumazahn’—Anglicè, he who keeps a bright look-out at night, or, in vulgar English, a sharp fellow who is not to be taken in.”

Allan Quatermain, H. Rider Haggard

Finding Nemo Character Squirt the Sea Turtle Figure

Squirt is a brave and spirited sea turtle, one the many characters in this Disney’s Finding Nemo animation. This figure is approximately two and half inches long and is cast from PVC.

Vesuvius, King of the Trolls

“Vesuvius was the King of the trolls and the supreme ruler of Marda. Vesuvius smiled wide, his troll face grotesque, misshapen, twice the size of a human’s, with two long fangs, like tusks, that emerged from his mouth, and beady red eyes which enjoyed watching people suffer.”

Chapter Twelve, Rise of the Dragons, Morgan Rice

Preface to Skinburn

Skinburn is one of many short tales found Farmer’s anthology “Tales of the Wold Newton Universe”. It is one of three found in the anthology’s Pulp Inspirations section.

“This story is about Love, which means that it is also about Hate. One of the themes that run through much of my work is that for every advantage you gain there is a disadvantage, that the gods or whoever, require payment, that the universe in all its aspects, which includes the human psyche, is governed by a check and balance system.”

“Tales of the Wold Newton Universe”, Philip Jose Farmer

Wold Cottage Meteorite

On this day in the year 1795 a meteorite, weighing 56 pounds fell near the Wold Cottage farm at around 3:00 P.M. “A monument was erected on the location of the stone's impact, by Major Topham, on whose property the stone had fallen.” Philip José Farmer’s Wod Newton Family is said to have started at this point in history.

D&D Legend of Drizzt-Goblin War Band

The three goblin miniatures are from the D&D Legend of Drizzt board game. From left to right we have the archer, the cutter, and the champion. The board game includes the following components: 40 plastic heroes and monsters, 32 sheets of interlocking card-stock dungeon tiles, 22 sheets of interlocking card-stock dungeon edge tiles, 200 encounter cards and treasure cards, numerous misc. tokens, a Rule-book, Scenario book, and a 20-sided die.

Toy Story’s Buzz Lightyear Figure

Buzz Lightyear is character found in Disney’s “Toy Story”. This figure like the last two, that I have made a post, stands approximately three inches tall and is cast from PVC plastic.

If you remember I made a post on Buzzes counterpart-Sheriff Woody sometime ago.

Paying Tribute to the Golden Dragons

"Yet I suspected that something more than extravagance lay at the back of that seemingly wasteful act of tossing sapphires into an abyss, for thee were in the depths of it those two dragons of gold of whom nothing seemed to be known. And I thought, and I think so still, that Singanee, terrific though he was in war with the elephants, from whose tusks he had built his palace, well knew and even feared those dragons in the abyss, and perhaps valued those priceless jewels less than he valued his queens, and that he to whom so many lands paid beautiful tribute out of their dread of his spear, himself paid tribute to the golden dragons. Whether those dragons had wings I could not see; nor, if they had, could I tell if they could bear that weight of solid gold from the abyss; nor by what paths they could crawl from it did I know. And I know not what use to a golden dragon should sapphires be or a queen. Only it seemed strange to me that so much wealth of jewels should be thrown by command of a man who had nothing to fear—to fall flashing and changing their colours at dawn into an abyss."

Tales of Three Hemispheres, Lord Dunsany

Where the Golden Dragons Play

"And then I sat on the grass by the worn paws of the lion to think out what to do. And I decided to go back through Go-by Street and, since there was nothing left to keep me any more to the fields we know, to offer myself as a servant in the palace of Singanee, and to see again the face of Saranoora and those famous, wonderful, amethystine dawns upon the abyss where the golden dragons play".

Tales of Three Hemispheres, Lord Dunsany

Disney's Maleficent Figure

When Maleficent does not get invited to Aurora's christening ceremony she becomes livid and puts a curse on the princess Aurora. Mayhem ensues! This Disney Sleeping Beauty character stands approximately three inches tall and is cast from PVC. One of Maleficent’s curious qualities is her ability to change into a dragon.

The Mysterious Jell-O Belly Figure

I found this mysterious rubber like creature on my keyboard the other day, I gently picked it off my keyboard and laid in my scroll pad to get a better view of this creature. Like I mentioned it is formed out of some rubber like plastic material. Jello Belly, as I have named it, is approximately 2.25 inches tall and will stick to just about anything.

The Kraken from the Clash of the Titans

Clash of the Titans

When Zeus gave his brother Hades permission to release the Kraken on the rich city of Joppa for their atrocities against Zeus, the Kraken was released. The Kraken dwarfs any creature on earth and had been pent up in the bowls of the earth. Once it was released it headed toward the city of Joppa bent on destruction. There is only one thing that can kill the Kraken and that is the head of Medusa. Once it lays its eyes on the head of Medusa it will turn to stone.

The Kraken gets a whiff of the princess, Clash of the Titans

The Kraken just before it encounters the head of Medusa and turns to stone.

Clash of the Titans

Disney’s Captain Hook

“There isn't a boy who won't enjoy a-working for Captain Hook!
The world's most famous crook!”

―Lyrics to "The Elegant Captain Hook"

The build up to Christmas will include a few of the Magic Kingdoms animated characters. Captain Hook was the main antagonist in Disney’s 1953 animated feature film, Peter Pan. This figure stands approximately 2.25 inches tall and was cast from a PVC.

My Extended Reading List

• Redwall, Mariel of Redwood, Brian Jacques
• H.M.S. Surprise, Patrick O’ Brian
• Tales of The Wold Newton Universe, Philip Jose Farmer
• The Mad Goblin, Philip Jose Farmer
• Time's Last Gift (Wold Newton Prehistory) , Philip Jose Farmer
• Tales of Three Hemispheres, Lord Dunsany (epub)
• Idle Days on the Yann
• A Shop in Go by Street
• The Avenger of Perdondaris
• The Hyborian Age, Robert E. Howard (epub)
• The Great God Pan, Arthur Machen (epub)
• The Dammed Thing, Ambrose Bierce (epub)
• The Invisible Man a Grotesque Romance, H. G. Wells (epub)
• Allan Quatermain, H. Rider Haggard (epub)

Dreadfleet’s Skull Island Completed

These piece has sat on my workbench for months, first it needed some dry-brushing, then a wash and finely a basing. Even after it was complete it still awaited my attention. The Dreadfleet’s Skull Island will end on being used with my Pirates of Mysterious Islands ships or perhaps with another set of miniatures ships.