The Burnt Bugbear Blog

H alreth sipped the pint in his hands, and unable to hide his grimace, caused several of his companions to chuckle heartily. “Manling’s got his first taste of proper drink, and look at him! He’s already redder than blood!” Beldar howled, his own pint of Greyfrost nearly spilling as he looked on at Halreth’s first tentative delve into the world of dwarven brewing. “It’s. . .bitter, and half as hot as liquor. You drink this on a normal eve?”      “By the barrelful,” Beldar replied, “and don’t you go comparing this fine ale to that manling swill! I’ve smelled more pleasant things in an alchemist’s shop, I have.” Halreth shrugged, peering into his mug like a child might gaze into a well. “So,” Halreth said, “let me get this straight. You and Baldrick here are brothers. Brothers, and part of clan Ironthane.” Beldar (left) and Baldrick (right).      “Aye,” the two siblings agreed in unison. “And you, uncle, are part of clan Copperbrow, alongside Glo...

Things have been incredibly busy for yours truly. Between work, the Holidays, and having a hobby desk that is overflowing with projects (the last of these is, in fact, a good problem to have), I’ve been negligent in keeping up with this little blog.      While things will be busy for a while yet, they’re not SO busy that I can’t show you a little of what’s been going on here.      Besides painting stuff for Torch and Shield (I received my PDF of the new Vaults of Zarn expansion a few days ago: I’m planning a campaign for the new year, and a review at some point), I’ve also been cracking on in preparation for a little game called Guards of Traitor’s Toll. Truly, in terms of fantasy minis and rules, my cup floweth over of late!      Yet, I would be lying if I said that the amount of prep work I’ve had to put into getting Guards ready for the table was anything less than substantial. While I own reams of fantasy terrain an...

Note: The product reviewed below was bought with my own coin, which was rightfully collected by gate guards enforcing just and fair sumptuary laws.       Some reviews are grand, planned affairs. This one is not that: it’s mostly the result of being highly impressed with the material and casting quality of some minis I recently managed to acquire. We’re doing it live!      I picked up Guardhouse Heroes on a whim as I work through the collection of minis I need to play Guards of Traitor’s Toll . Though my guard squad is done and dusted, I thought it might be fun to play with some of the special characters that have been added by the “wave 2” releases for the game. 'Tis a shame that the NPC box with some more distinct personalities (a vampire to suck the life out of the city, an assassin to terrorize its fancy pants nobility, etc.) was out of stock at my FLGS, but I suppose I can track it down in the new year. A fine box: I find the "sketchy" styl...

     Last post, I talked about Torch and Shield ’s core book and why it kicks all sorts of ass. It really is a game that’s left me feeling giddy to get models on the table, and I’m very much hoping it is something which catches on in my gaming group.      Today, we’re going to take a look at something I have far more critical words about: the official miniatures from Grimskald. While Grimskald is very much a modern gaming company (that is, it strongly encourages 3d printing, and sells all its miniatures in digital form for you printing enthusiasts), I’m not a very modern gamer. My beard may be short and my hairs mostly un-greyed, but for me the miniature collecting hobby is not the same as the 3d printing one. I could invest in printing hardware and learn the craft of making my own miniatures, but that’s not the hobby I want to engage in. I want to build and paint minis, and that’s it!      To this end, when I made my first To...