Early playtesting isn't like playing a game. It's work, not fun.
There's no mission, here. No scenario. There isn't even another player on the other side of the table. This is just me moving stuff around and going "OK, so what if...?" and trying to see how it would work mechanically.
I've had to cut away a lot...
2020-04-30 10:59:59 +0000 UTC View Post
I splashed out on a sci-fi special effects pack and put it to work enhancing a video to explain movement in Horizon Wars: Zero Dark. It's because of my patrons that I can do this sort of non-essential, value-adding stuff.
Sorry about the voiceover guy. There just doesn't seem to be anything I can do to get rid of him. ...
2020-04-28 19:05:49 +0000 UTC View Post
A quick hobby update, this weekend.
Stefan was interested in what I was going to do to modify the Gamemat.EU terrain and, as a dedicated reuser of overlooked rubbish, I'm using old plastic straws, kebab skewers, cotton bud sticks and cardboard.
I've also finished the initial zenithal highlighting on about a third of the terrain. I...
If you felt moved by my recent review to get some Gamemat terrain, patrons can use the discount code EVENT10 to get 10% off any order.
I'm going to try to solicit more discounts and similar for patrons from partners for whom I do reviews and features.
YouTube really doesn't help me out when it comes to picking good thumbnails. There's probably a secret to it.
Anyway, as the last effort I made to do this was a bust, I gave it another go with more primitive technology and - after a long, long wait for processing - it seems OK.
Hope this all makes sense.
2020-04-24 18:50:25 +0000 UTC View PostWhen playing the simpler missions in Solo or Team mode, you might find that cautious moves provide something of an "easy button" solution that means the Red Force never or rarely activates except to move around. Intelligent positioning of your heroes can mean that they sneak in, grab the objective and extract without every so much as takin...
2020-04-23 13:49:25 +0000 UTC View Post
As I got hold of this huge set of MDF terrain from Gamemat.eu, and it's going to start appearing in lots of videos and photography for Zero Dark, I thought I'd do a review while I was at it.
I have to say that, for £65/$75, it strikes me as being extremely good value. I don't have a huge collection of MDF terrain, and there are some...
2020-04-22 16:08:54 +0000 UTC View Post
The guys at Gamemat.eu have helped me out with new scenery and mats to illustrate Operation Nemesis.
These photos show the new mats and the pre-painted resin industrial ruins terrain set.
I will be making use of these for demos and photography for new publications, but in due course I will be giving at least some of this s...
By chance, I find myself working on a selection of Reaper minis. One is a reward for a patron. One is a suggestion from another patron for a special character for Operation Nemesis. Three others are minis I just happened to be painting for a review article for my friends at Tabletop Games UK. And the last three are extras I got given by Reap...
2020-04-20 18:49:57 +0000 UTC View Post
You may have noticed that I recently re-branded the Patreon tiers a bit and sorted you all into Elites ($2), Heavy Elites ($3) and Defence Mechs ($5). I thought you'd like to know that FB Group members are Grunts.
Anyway, I'm going to order some badges as shown in the picture above.
If you win a monthly mini draw, order anythin...
2020-04-17 11:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostNo, I still haven't quite solved the 3d question (or at least, settled it to my satisfaction).
But I have had another idea that at least is in the same general ball-park.
One of the challenges of using Newtonian physics in a tabletop space game is the ease with which an eager player can boost across the table, try to make a dramatic ...
2020-04-16 19:00:00 +0000 UTC View PostSorry to have been a bit quiet, recently. No doubt some of you were relieved to have the pressure on your inboxes temporarily relieved.
Basically, as some of you noticed, I've been trying to do something resembling more videos. And failing pretty badly. I am going to get back on the multimedia horse eventually, w...
2020-04-16 12:23:21 +0000 UTC View PostNormally, you guys get all the best stuff first. But sometimes, there's an exception to that rule in the name of the marketing and collaborations that are key to making a one-man wargame publishing company actually, y'know, make some money.
I've been a part of the Tabletop Games UK team for a little over a year, writing occasional ar...
2020-04-13 09:51:07 +0000 UTC View PostNew products enter the miniatures wargaming market all the time. Keeping up momentum on Zero Dark is at the heart of my marketing plan and it's been great to see the Facebook community growing to almost 200 members, and this elite core of supporters holding firm at 40+, even after a few dropped away as Covid has started to bite on...
2020-04-12 12:53:22 +0000 UTC View PostThe dreaded Terran terrorist, Der Osterhase, has been seeding the territory where your team is operating with his terrifying "easter eggs" - a mix of deadly bombs, self-seeding synthetic combat units and chocolate treats.
Before they can proceed to their next mission, your team must clear the area of Der Osterhase's peculiar booby traps. 2020-04-12 12:44:19 +0000 UTC View Post
Well, I haven't solved the "3d space on a 2d playing surface" problem, yet. Many possibilities, but none of them are satisfying. They all make the game considerably more complicated whilst adding nothing in terms of entertainment.
However, on the plus side, I have made some progress in other areas of the conceptual design of th...
2020-04-09 13:00:00 +0000 UTC View PostSentinels are a new sort of bogey that will feature in Operation Nemesis. If you want to make a mission more challenging, but Hard Mode isn't enough for you, add 3-6 sentinels for fun.
Sentinels may be automated guns, booby traps or simply dedicated soldiers, dug into shallow trenches. Sentinels deploy at the same time as...
It seems like folk liked Zero Dark: Millennium as a concept, and it certainly inspired me at my weekend painting table (when I get to paint what I want). I knocked out this pair of Van Saar gangers and I'm looking forward to doing more of these. But I'm sure you, like me, love what some companies that aren't GW are doing in the grimda...
2020-04-05 14:55:51 +0000 UTC View PostI know all of you either have the full rules or have the 0.9 beta while you wait for the print edition to be released.
However, if you'd like to introduce anyone to the game, demo the game at an event or just take the game for a spin and haven't had time to digest the full rules yet, then please do check out the attached Training Run 2020-04-04 08:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
I'd like your suggestions.
The $5+ patrons had their say on this a little while ago and I got some good recommendations. But as I've got room for more, I'm pushing this down to the $3 patrons too.
I want to feature some special characters in Operation Nemesis. These will be a mix of Bosses and Allies. In simplest te...
2020-04-03 16:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostHi, folks. So I got my test copy of Zero Dark this morning and it looks good, but... it does need a few tweaks to make it just right.
Whilst this is disappointing, it is also an opportunity. Since the PDF was released, I have spotted a few minor things that I wasn't happy with, plus the fact that the purpose of bogeys'...
2020-04-03 09:17:59 +0000 UTC View PostThe April Monthly Mini Draw winners have been randomly generated through the traditional method (I roll a dice).
Winner of the Premium Mini Draw was Rob Tapfield. I look forward to hearing what mini Rob wants (last month's winner was a repeat winner and generously declined a prize, so a donation was made to ...
2020-04-01 18:55:43 +0000 UTC View PostAs I posted a spoiler on Facebook, I thought I'd confirm here that I'm working on a "stripped down" version of Zero Dark with a limited selection of pre-built heroes, the basic rules and a single mission that I'll release to you guys first and then to the world at large - hopefully to tie in with the hardcover edition becoming available next wee...
2020-04-01 14:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostI've ordered the Zero Dark Hero cards. If you'd like a free pack of 10, please message me with your address.
2020-03-31 13:00:00 +0000 UTC View PostObviously, there's going to be a lot of play-testing and suchlike going into the design of Operation Nemesis, but wherever I can, I'll share some stuff to give you guys an insight into what's coming and to get your feedback on how things look so far.
Operation Nemesis will focus, thematically, on the other side of the sto...
2020-03-30 13:59:59 +0000 UTC View Post
The best I can say is that I am getting slightly better at this as time goes on. Stick around long enough and it may not be completely embarrassing...
2020-03-28 08:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostI am on tenderhooks, right now, hoping that the test printing of the hard copy edition of Zero Dark will come through my door any day. All my fingers are tightly crossed that I got it right right time.
It took me at least three goes to get Over the Horizon right. I still have the test copies kicking around, so...
2020-03-27 14:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostI know that, when I asked about this a couple of months ago, enthusiasm for a "grimdark scifi" supplement for Zero Dark was, um, muted. By and large, people like you who are fans of independent games and designers are unlikely to be also fans of the void whale in the tabletop wargaming room.
However, for all that I ...
2020-03-26 09:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostMy starting place for a design is always visual. I try to imagine the cinematic version of what I'm trying to capture on the tabletop.
Tabletop wargames are necessarily cerebral affairs. For all that we can make miniatures and terrain help immerse us, we aren't all Crystal Brush-level painters and don't all have the time to do ...
2020-03-25 09:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostIf you're in the Facebook group for Zero Dark (and if you're not, get with it!) you might have seen a recent exchange I had with a player who, in the course of five games, managed to essentially "solve" the solo game by (ab)using the cautious move rules.
So let me give you some insight into the design process that underlay Zer...
2020-03-24 12:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post