Crap

Twice now I've started the next Mentzer Cover to Cover post, and both times my Android phone (Galaxy S6 if you're wondering) has erased the text when the screen locked as I was checking the pdf on my tablet (Nexus 7).

Screw blogging from the phone I guess. My old S2 never deleted the text like that.

I will try to write the post later, but I will be running the guys through Under the Hillfort Ruins tonight so I might not get to it until tomorrow.

Basic Dungeon Map

Just did a little test run using GIMP to create a very simple dungeon map. This took me less than 15 minutes to make. With a bit more time, and some more practice with GIMP making maps, I should be able to knock out some more complex structures, and add more details to the dungeon. The map I made yesterday for Under the Hillfort Ruins is more complex. It has doors, statues, stairs, and other features marked on the map, along with room numbers.

Feel free to download this, stock it, and use it in your own home games if you like. I'll need to come up with a license* for maps if people would like to use them in published adventures, I guess.

*Note, I doubt anyone would want to publish an adventure with this simple little map. Just planning ahead.
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Expanding Hidden Treasure Books

I started out Hidden Treasure Books in order to sell paper minis. Now, I'm planning on expanding into adventure modules and who knows what else? Well, actually I know what else. When I ever get Chanbara ready for publication, I'll publish in print and pdf through DrivethruRPG via Hidden Treasure Books. Same for Flying Swordsmen: Wu Xing edition, and if Paul agrees, Presidents of the Apocalypse (he's entitled to 50% of any profit on that one, so it may require its own publishing storefront so we can share the profits equally without having to figure what portion of HTB's profits is from PotA every month).

I'm already dusting off an old adventure, Under the Hillfort Ruins. I had the incomplete notes for download for free here on the blog, but since it was from my 3E days, I'm revising it for old school (BX/BECMI/LL) and finishing it up. I also plan to run my group through it next weekend and see if there are any problems in play (there weren't any 10 or however many years ago I first wrote it and used it with my old Yamanashi group).

And there are plenty more old adventures I've got lying around in files and folders on the bookshelf, or digital folders here on the computer.

Another plus, since I've been messing around with GIMP a lot lately to make the paper minis, I'm getting more proficient with it. I redid the map for Under the Hillfort Ruins, since originally I'd used a map someone put online. It was pretty darn simple to make, so expect more dungeon maps in the future as well. I know Dyson Matt Jackson, and some other bloggers make some awesome maps - don't expect that quality, at least at first. But it should be something else fun to do.

Making money (not much, but it's not about getting rich) from doing something I love? It may be just the thing to get me through the dissertation process, which is about to start this fall (fingers crossed that my adviser OKs my idea).

Basic Monsters Set 2

And here it is, PM3 Basic Monsters Set 2!

It's a mere $5 for a pdf of monster minis that you can print to your heart's content.

This set contains creatures listed in the red box Basic Set from Ferret, Giant through Mule. That means lots of slimes/oozes, living statues, lycanthropes, and goblinoids, among others.

So, if you need some more monsters to fill up your battle mat, consider this as an inexpensive and portable alternative to plastic or metal figures.

Basic Monsters Set 2 is coming!

This morning, before heading to work, I printed up a copy of my new paper minis offering, Basic Monsters Set 2. It looks good. So I submitted the book to Drivethru and I'm just waiting on them to approve it.  Of course, I'll update everyone once it's live.

Check out that gelatinous cube, the werewolves (regular and leader), goblinoids, giant lizards and living statues!  All these monsters and more can soon be yours!

Also, a big thanks to the handful of people who've already purchased Basic Adventurers and Basic Monsters Set 1, and the few people who paid a little something for the Free Sample. I appreciate your business, and I hope the minis help make your games more awesome.

And I'm already about halfway done with the base image files for the third Basic Monsters set. Just created the owlbear and orc chieftain today (I'm not working in alphabetical order on these). I still need to collage together a rust monster, but other than that the remaining creatures should be fairly simple (giant snakes and spiders, pixie and sprite, some high level NPCs, and a few other creatures).

The Making of a Paper Mini

I just finished my Medusa for Basic Monsters Set 2. I just have three or four more images to prepare then I can move on to formatting the book. Hopefully, I'll have it out by this time next week, but we'll see.

I thought I'd highlight my process for making minis.

First, I find suitable images from public domain sources. For the normal and giant animals and human types (bandits, etc.) this isn't so hard. Monsters sometimes take a bit of creativity.

While Medusa is a popular figure in Greek mythology, I couldn't find any decent images that would work as is for a game figure. Maybe if I'd looked deeper into Google Image Search or on one of the various PD image depository sites, I could have found something. But what I found was good enough to cobble it together myself.

First, I found this image of Medusa's head:

I trimmed away the background using GIMP's lasso tool. Then I colorized the image.

Next, I needed a body.  Looking through my stock, I found this lovely medieval queen. Nice, elegant robes, and the body pose was also dynamic enough.

Using layers, I added the medusa head to the queen's body (deleting the original head so it wouldn't show through). Of course, I had to adjust the head size to fit the body. I left it a little bit big intentionally so that her ugly face will stand out.  Next, I recolored the hands to match the tone of the face.

 Once the main image was done, I selected the white background using the magic wand tool (including the bits within the snake loops), inverted the selection, and filled it with black.  Flipping the image, I then rotated it 90 degrees, added the label with a text layer, and rotated it back to the inverse position.

Finally, I combine these two onto a blank outline to be fitted into my next paper minis offering.

Voila, a medusa, ready for your gaming table.

1000th post - Fold Up Basic Monsters!

Well, it's a milestone I probably would have reached two or three years ago if I hadn't entered grad school, and months ago if I hadn't had a second child (10 months old today!), but it's my 1,000th post here on What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse...!

And what better way to help me celebrate, than by purchasing my newest offering from Hidden Treasure Books, Basic Monsters Set 1! 

If you're a DM who likes to use minis, but doesn't like the bulk of carrying them around, or the time spent searching through the racks and singles bins at your FLGS, or the cost of buying lots of minis (they add up, even for inexpensive plastics like Reaper Bones), you might want to consider this! Basic Monsters Set 1 has 37 creatures from the Basic D&D monster list, from Ant, Giant to Elf. Yes, that includes the six chromatic dragons, bears, great cats, bandits and berserkers, giant bees and beetles, etc.

And it's only $5, about the price of one (human-size) metal mini. That's not bad!