I’m a day late putting this post together, but that gives me a good starting point for the post. Yesterday, I was too tired to do much of anything all day – especially after I returned home from work.
My normal status is exhaustion, partly because there is nothing comfortable about the way I live. However, this isn’t a rant about any of that drama. I know I’m exhausted because I throw myself at anything I do 120% – burning the candle at both ends while I work.
But, sometimes I just need to take a break.
Generally, when I return home I take a short break and proceed to work on the web comic. I don’t have a lot of free time from work, so every bit counts. At least, I try to work on the comic a little each day so I don’t lose my schedule.
There’s a lot of work that goes into the web comic, more than is probably needed. It’s still a learning process, after all. I’m constantly testing new things out while working on it. Sometimes the ideas work, and sometimes they don’t. It’s evolving, and hopefully for the better.
When that fails, I work on the d20 Project. There is a lot of work to do on that site, but it’s generally all editing and compiling. There is little actual thinking required, but it does take a bit of focus.
Lately, instead of adding new information to the site I have been focusing on making templates. This will help standardize entries, and make it easier for people to help me in the future.
If all else fails to hold my attention, I default back to working on miniatures. I can sit down in a cooler area, and listen to various TV shows or movies while I’m working on them. They require little attention or focus, and you get a tangible result from your work. It’s always good being able to hold in your hand something you’ve made, and that others can give feedback on.
With everything going on, I’ve been working on miniatures a lot lately. In a few weeks, I’ll probably have a few finished and I’ll post pictures to show them off.
In the meantime, I have a cure for the exhaustion so I can work. It’s called 5-Hour Energy, and yes it works.Share on Facebook
Among all the toys I played with as a kid, the ones that had the most use were Legos. Sure, there were plenty of other toys I had that I still have a fondness for, best example of that would be Transformers. However, no other toy has the same amount of creative potential as those little modular plastic blocks.
For years now, my collection of Legos has sat in plastic bins stored away in a garage. I have mostly outgrown them and I don’t have the time anymore to just goof off building random things with them anymore. Back in high school I even sat down over a weekend to build what I thought was going to be my last major build. I built a fully transforming Optimus Prime, in the right colors no less. It was glorious, but until this past week it was also kind of a turning point growing up.
Like I said, that changed about a week ago after returning home for a weekend. I have all those bricks stashed away doing nothing, and I’ve wanted to have 3D terrain for role playing and other games. The solution was obvious, but a few questions remained. Most importantly:
Q: Does the brick scale work with standard miniatures?
A: It’s not perfect, but it is very close. Standard miniature scale for RPGs is every inch equals 5 feet. Circular bases are generally based on this scale depending on the miniature size.
When I first started measuring it looked like 3 pegs would have matched the 5 foot scale, but it’s too small for a circular base. I think this is directly related to the European origins of Legos, using the metric system for its own wierd Legoland scale. Four pegs, though slightly larger than an inch, fit a circular base perfectly.
This also works vertically quite well. Three fat bricks measure about the same as 4 pegs wide, thus creating your 5 foot x 5 foot cube. Most “medium” size figures will reach about 4 blocks tall, meaning they will sit around 6-7 feet tall. That height includes the base they stand on, which evens the height out to a reasonable degree.
This is where an interesting theory gains ground, and the genius of using Legos as RPG terrain takes off. The whole idea of Legos is about imagination and the ability of all the bricks to work together to build anything.
By creating segments of walls and floors using this 4 peg basis from the Lego design, I can create modular terrain that snaps together in scale. An 8 peg wide flat peice allows for a 5 foot wide hallway and two walls snapping in place on either side. Two walls snapped together create a 10 foot tall hallway, where the upper half can have a peice built in to hold a light source brick (that, by the nature of Legos, can be removes or added based on character actions).
To add to this insanity – why not use Lego figures to represent the PCs and NPCs? This way the equipment the character has can actually be reflected on the figure? The possibilities are endless when sit down to think about it…
This weekend when I had a bit of downtime I pulled three bricks out to prototype the design. I wanted to get a feel for the amount of work required for a total conversion, as well as play around with techniques. I carved a brick design into the blocks, and then painted them grey with a black wash. The effect works on a simple level, but will be very time costly if I built all the wall peices this way.
The biggest issue with this plan isn’t so much a question of resources, but time and productivity. This is the issue with all my projects, and so for this to really take hold I’ll need to figure a way to mass produce the effect with the bricks.Share on Facebook
I’m tired after yet another convention, and working to catch up on lost work time. After going to conventions off and on for many years now, you would think I would be used to the travel.
I guess that’s just one of those quirks – I enjoy being at places, but I don’t travel well. I’d much rather just zone out and sleep and arrive at the destination than be conscious of the whole trip. Fighting exhaustion and travel sickness takes away from the fun of whatever I end up being.
Now, if you’ll excuse me I have a comic to work on…Share on Facebook
In an effort to put more content out, I’m going to try to start a series of themed postings. Not a whole lot at once, but I’ll start one at a time and build upwards. The first is going to be what I’m sort of calling “Monday Musings” where I just post about related things going on. Be it about comics, life, or whatever.
I’m sure few people out in the wide wired world care about my personal life, but there are a few things that can relate to the site. There isn’t going to much for this first one – it’s just an introduction to the new post feature.Share on Facebook
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood
Cover by Nicola Scott
| Cover |    |
|---|---|
| This is an interesting cover. It’s a variation on a warrior’s greeting, reflecting Diana’s status as a fighter and the duel taking place in the story. She’s fitted out with various equipment, looking like a mythological Borg. It feels a bit like a Leifeld design initially, which detracts the impact for me. | |
| Writing | |
| I’ve been hard on this short arch, but this finale seems to turn it back to what Wonder Woman should feel like. The end of this issue is an all encompassing end to Simone’s run as the writer, and she makes it an upbeat ending. I enjoyed her run as the writer, if for the fact that she tried to take risks while keeping the core the same. I’m going to miss the gorillas. I believe now, with this arch being finished, that another issue at least would have served this arch for the better. There are parts of this story that needed further exploration and fleshing out. This issue helped create the pathos for the newly introduced characters, and solidified Diana’s causes with them. | |
| Art | |
| The art was once again good for the story, despite the story being overall average for this arch. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|