Fomorian Conversion BitsThe practical issue I am still stuck on is where to cast. My attic and basement are both cold until spring. The attic has very poor ventilation, and the furnace in the basement draws in air to blow into the rest of the house. So both of those areas seem to be impractical for both temperature and ventilation reasons.
So I'm worried that this little project might be stalled. If I can't manage any casting, I may just scale down to a few figures using all one-off sculpted bits. The heads & feet aren't too difficult, and it will give me extra practice to built my humble sculpting skills. And build character. And patience.
BOOM!Finished the light gun I got from DeafNala, and its two dwarf crew. Not the best pic, but the only one of about a dozen that was even decent. I'll get a good group photo when I finish the last of the light/swivel guns.
Remote Gaming... as a Neutral GM?I couldn't sleep last night, and in my tossing & turning my mind started wandering into the idea of remote gaming again. I have a new idea I may like to try out. Instead of me vs. an opponent, I'm thinking about running a game with me as a GM, and two or more people acting as generals. Either one general per side giving orders for multiple commands, or multiple generals per side, each with their own individual command. Sticking with my original plan (for now) of using a fantasy mod. of Hail Caesar, it would work something like this:
1. Orders. Generals all privately email me orders for all of their units/brigades, in the order of importance (which goes first.)
2. Moves. Simultaneous. I will make all of the command roles and move the units per the generals' instructions.
2.b. Wonky simultaneous movement thing. If a unit approaches/ends within 1" (or maybe 2"?) and a charge wasn't declared AND the unit(s) would be in a situation where they could otherwise charge (haven't maxed out on movement, didn't blow any leadership tests, are a troop type able to declare a charge against the target, etc.) then I will contact the relevant general(s) and ask if they would like to attempt a "last minute charge" or hold. They would have to pass a second leadership test (at a penalty?) to pull off the charge.
3. Shooting, Combat, etc. I think most of the rest could be handled pretty normally. I would ask each general to name their targets for any shooting or melee attacks. Then I would roll the dice and give the results. Fleeing/routing/etc. units could get a little messy, but as a third party I could sort that out.
I would try to leave as much decision making up to the generals for anything else that came up. I would be the figure mover, dice roller, and write the narrative of the action. As a remote third party GM, I could also increase the "fog of war" element by keeping players blind to some things, like hidden movement, secret objectives, unexpected events, and other surprises. I could also keep players blind to the particulars of their opponents armies. So you might know what you see from the pics and description, but not exact stats.
Visuals would be handled publicly online. Probably at my website/blog. (Maybe some highlights posted in the forum.) At the start of each turn, both players would get an overhead shot of the battlefield, with some measuring sticks for reference so they could get a general idea of distance. I would also post some photos or video of some of the battlefield from different angles, along with a text narrative, to help set the stage.
I'm thinking about putting together a small test game to try this idea out. Maybe just one player per side for this one. If successful, I could even try a mini-campaign, with a few linked battles, each determined by the results of the previous battle(s) and post-game decisions (regarding options presented to them) made by the players. But I shouldn't get too carried away.
Not sure how much interest there would be in something like this. (I know at least one person.) I only need a few volunteers, and although a basic knowledge of the HC rules would be beneficial, I could/would give a basic rundown of how things work. The important thing (for players) would simply be good general decision making & issuing of orders based on common sense wargaming concepts... hit enemies in the flanks, keep heavy units out of bad terrain, heavy knights are probably going to be able to beat sickly goblins armed with dull twigs, etc.
REMINDERThis was in the window of my daughter's daycare classroom today. These are usually things they've been learning about, that you can bring up on your drive home. I don't know if I can answer this one. It's like a reminder of what I'm giving up for my hobby.