Landsknecht Arquebusier Mini Conversion

Oli at Camisado posted pictures of his Landsknecht arquebusier figure conversions.

I painted my fair share of minis over the years, but I never really tried anything like these kinds of conversions, and I have tremendous respect for the modelers who tackle them..

A Black Flag Comes Calling

The following appeared on ICV2 a couple of weeks ago -

Paizo Publishing has inked a distribution deal with French company Gob In Tux Publishing to release the company's tabletop RPGs, boardgames, and novels in North America. . . . Paizo will release Pavillon Noir, a new Gob in Tux RPG, in 2016. The 500-page Core Rulebook will feature full-color interior, with new illustrations. A collector version with leather binding is also planned. A series of support products will follow.

First released in 2000, Pavillon Noir is a historical piracy roleplaying game, spanning the period from the 15th to 18th centuries. This feature in itself makes the game remarkable - most piracy games focus on the "golden age," full of Blackbeard and William Kidd but noticeably short on Henry Morgan and François l'Olonnais.

Ruleswise the game is fairly light - task resolution is d10s rolled based on attributes and skills, with the target based on number of dice above a target number, eg, 3F5 means three of the dice thrown must be five or better for success. But what makes PN great is the setting details and the ship-to-ship action rules.

For those who can't imagine playing pirates without sea monsters, spells, and skeletal crews, there is a supplement for magic as well.

A Couple of Swashbuckling Blogs to Check Out

A Danish gamer named Christian, who goes by the handle Battle_Mad_Ronin at Big Purple, started a Tumblr of actual play reports for his The Queen's Cavaliers campaign, The First of Their Names. There are five "sessions" described so far, in abundant detail; I'd like to see more about how the rules work, a 'behind the scenes' view of the actual play reports. I think this is really helpful for a new game with novel mechanics.

Tom, who goes by the handle BluSponge at Big Purple, blogs at . . . and a Brace of Pistols, a blog "dedicated to swashbuckling, fantasy, and horror gaming." Tom plays Witch Hunter: The Invisible World, and includes some great game-specific materials for that game, but he also writes about gaming and refereeing; his post, "The Art of Letting Go," is a good read.

Please show these guys some love and some clicks.