Orcs in the Webbe 2013 Advent Interview

Another year has passed in my life as a wargame writer and general all around fine fellow and over the previous few years a marker of this passing has been the annual Orcs in the Webbe interview.  Now that the chaos of Christmas is behind me (and a Merry Mithras Day to one and all) I wanted to put up a short posting here on the blog about this year’s interview.  You can read it here and it makes for interesting reading.  Firstly thanks to Craig Andrews for the interview and for carrying on all his efforts into Black Powder Fantasy for wargamers everywhere not least Flintloque fans.   Secondly I often don’t realise just how many tasks I take on during a year and the interview gives me a chance to reflect upon this both for the past and the future.  I seldom take a day off and I think it shows in the loyalty of our customers to Alternative Armies, 15mm.co.uk and The Ion Age too.

I think the biggest thing for me to come out of the interview was that, as I expected, The Ion Age has taken up a lot of my year but also that my role in the company has changed.  We have a larger team on all projects now and where once I was sole creative input there are now several voices in this area.  I hope that this means I will have time for more side projects perhaps even some creative writing.

Lastly an apology to Craig to whom I had promised a piece of lengthy Dracci related fiction for the Calendar this year but due to a combination of atrocious weather which shut us down for several days, personal illness and sheer workload I was unable, the first time ever, to meet the deadline.   Sorry!  Looking at it, its not often I drop the ball but I am only Human.

Have a read at the Interview if you have the time.  Its fun stuff indeed!

GBS

Tony Harwood publishes and ships his first book!

Book Anyone?

I have known Tony Harwood for more than a decade and he is a great fan of Flintloque so when he mentioned online that he planned to publish a book of his terrain ideas and works I was very interested.  Tony makes wonderful terrain for several different game systems and also for a couple of companies too.  All of this is in his own unique style.  I actually own a piece of his terrain which Tony very kindly gifted to me last year (is it in the book we will see!) for the Sharke’s Gingerbread adventure at Salute.

My House is a very, very fine Gingerbread House

One hundred copies of the book have been printed and it looks like it is selling well.  I have held off ordering just now as I wanted Tony to expand his fan base and I will pick up a copy once the huzzah calms down a bit.  Writing, Editing, Laying Out and Publishing a book is a daunting process (trust me I know!) and all that before you take it to a market and attempt to sell what you have come to love and often loath so much to interested parties.  Tony’s works deserve to be seen by all those who are interested in wargame terrain and how it can be constructed.

You can see some of Tony’s work over on Barking Irons Online and also on his own Blog along with the book itself.

Well done Tony!

GBS

Beware the Were-Chickens of Beesdone!

Uncle Rogipoos and Jose survey their new premises!

A few weeks ago Tony Harwood asked me to do him a little favour.  What is it you ask!  To send on a gift to Roger Willcox, or as he is better known to the Notables Yahoo Group ‘Uncle Rogipoos’.  I was delighted to do this for Roger as he is a very entertaining and stand up fellow who often makes me laugh with his crazy tales of adventure on the group.  Also to help out Tony who is a very talented modeller and fan of Flintloque.  Above you can see the item which was the gift.  The coop of the Were-Chickens of Beesdone.  I could not resist having a look and taking some pictures.  This image shows the coop along with Uncle Rogipoos and his pet Armadillo Jose, two miniatures from the VLE10 set based on Roger’s characters.

I can say that Roger got the gift in perfect time for Halloween as Tony asked me.  He did open it a day early and I accept the blame for this as a recent bad head cold made me forget to email Roger and tell him not to open it to the 31st!  But hey ho.   I know Tony is planning a book on his wonderful terrain, perhaps the coop will feature in it.

GBS

Headless Undead fun over on Barking Irons!

Tony’s Headless Zombie conversions

Craig Andrews has posted the last of the three parts of Tony Harwood’s ‘Headless Undead Fun’ arc for Flintloque over on Barking Irons Online.  I have been wating for this for a wee while and indeed both he and Tony have put notes on the final scenario explaining the delay and what was going on.  I am more than excited on this and have been patiently await it.

You can see scenario three entitled Getting Ahead Part Three – Just Get me the Hell out of Here! now.  It is a cracking ‘steeplechase’ format scenario that sees Acting Captain Margahrah and his section try to cross several boards while the Undead try to stop them and prevent the wretched Halfling Posco from escaping their clutches.  From there you can follow the links back to parts one and two.

The fiction in part one is well worth a read on its own and it explains why these Headless Shamblers exist and just what is at stake as the Ferach Grande Armee tries to retreat from the flaming hell of frzon Moskova and the Witchlands.

The first Headless Shamblers

Sometimes it takes time for elements to come together and for articles and material that wargamers are waiting on to be completed (I know this I think better than most!) but it is worth the wait and once more Tony Harwood with a little help has given us all some Flintloque gold.  I hope he keeps his head!

GBS

Tony Harwood’s micro review of Grapeshotte 3rd edition

My good friend and wargaming terrain professional Tony Harwood has put up a micro review of my title 5027 Grapeshotte 3rd Edition over on his Dampf Blog.  Tony has been a fan of Flintloque right from its very beginnings in the middle of the 1990’s and while he does not play the game he likes the background material (he is the creator of Foul Mouth Freddie) and the community (being an active member of the Notables Yahoo Group) and he paints and even designs miniatures for Flintloque all from his studio.

So pop along and look at the micro review but also take a bit of time and look at the posts tagged with Flintloque.  Your gaming mind will thank you.

GBS

Todoroni Pledge June – Watched with Pleasure

 

2o Bellalugosi Line – Mama Mia!

‘Mamma Mia!, Toni has a made a lotta fussa over us’a!’ ‘Whatta we gonna do!’

Well I do not know about the Todoroni but I for one am going to give a round of applause.  Tony Harwood modeller and Flintloque fan has finished his June pledge and very nice they are too.  A set of 56505 Todoroni Militia from Alternative Armies.  You can see the final post in the series on the pledge over on Tony’s blog and from there trace them back to the start.  Check out the image above ‘itsa very nicea’.

Since joining Blogger I have been able to watch this pledge on screen developing from its unpainted origins to finished over a few weeks and it has entertained me; hence this little posting.

GBS