5 on Friday 06/01/23

It’s Friday, and here on No Rerolls that means it’s time for an all-new 5 on Friday. We’re going to start with 5 exciting releases for this week before moving on to our usual digest of some of our favourite articles from the past week. Of course, we’re slow readers, so don’t be surprised if there are some articles that are a little older – these are just some of the great articles we happen to have actually read in the past week.

Releases & Previews

Every week there are many games and miniatures released. This will probably be a mix of previews, preorders, and releases, and with release dates being the way they are in this industry, it’s always pretty approximate. Excuses out of the way, here are 5 of the releases that caught our attention this week:

Games Workshop releases Frodo, Sam, and Gollum set for Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game –Another week in which I feature a LotR release? Am I swithering toward the game? Nah, there’s just not been all that many releases from Games Workshop over the festive period. It’s a cool set though, featuring the hero, Gollum, and a pair of nasty hobbitses:

Yeah, they’re nice minis. The LotR minis have always looked great, and I appreciate the slightly smaller scale, rather than the ever-increasing scale of the mainline GW games. I especially like the hero, Gollum, on his substantial hero rock.

Affiliate Links:

The Outpost
Element Games

Evil Hat releases Improv for Gamers, Second Editon – Evil Hat released the first edition of their Improv for Gamers book a few years ago now. I guess it’s time for a bit of a refresh, so here comes a second edition of the book:

The book promises exercises to develop a number of different skills that are important in both improv and roleplaying:

Enthusiastic and collaborative storytelling
Creating multi-faceted characters
Building authentic relationships between characters
Embodying your character and interacting with the world around them
Knowing when and how to end a scene and share the spotlight

I’ve written before about the overlap between roleplay and improv, so I’m quite tempted to pick the book up this time around.

Affiliate Links:

DriveThruRPG (PDF version)
DriveThruRPG (PDF workbook)

ATLAS 3DSS launches a Kickstarter Campaign for a 3D model of the Maeklong Railway Market – Not actually gaming-related, this is nonetheless an interesting project. This is particularly relevant to me just now, with the recent focus on 3D printing on this blog, thanks largely to Adam’s input.

This is a cool, interesting model that portrays a really unique and fascinating real-world location. I took a closer look at this campaign in last week’s Kickstarter-Watch.

Wyrd releases PDF edition of Madness of Malifaux on DTRPG – I really loved the second edition of Malifaux. The first edition was a bit convoluted. The third edition is likely pretty good, but I’ve just not got to play it yet. The latest expansion (released a few months back) is now available on DriveThruRPG in a convenient PDF format:

This latest book drives the story forward, covering the disappearance of the Burning Man. It introduces new masters, and other new units, and generally moves things along. I don’t see myself getting back into Malifaux right away, but I do like to keep up with it, as it’s still really special to me.

Affiliate Links

DriveThruRPG (PDF version)
The Outpost (physical version)

Super Vlad releases Curiouser And Curiouser Bargains, a Changeling: The Lost supplement, on Storytellers Vault – Changeling (either version) is really fantastic. I’d love to see it updated for the current edition of the World of Darkness. In the meantime, it’s cool to see wee supplements like this one pop up on the Storytellers Vault:

There’s some really fun, cool content in here. At first glance, I quite like the sound of the Speaker for the Dead entitlement and the Babel’s Curse contract. I’m going to have to take a closer look at this book, and it looks like it’s just stuffed full of fun. little addons for your games of Changeling: The Lost.

Affiliate Links

Storytellers Vault

Blog Posts & Articles

The meat of 5 on Friday, the articles are listed in no particular order, so let’s get into some recommendations:

Year in Review 2022: Sales @ LunarShadow Designs – I like the openness of this sort of post, and I appreciate the realistic view of what a small publisher, working mostly as a hobby, could expect to make. I appreciate the insight.

Progress Report – December 2022 @ Convert or Die – Convert or Die is a blog that makes me happy when I visit it. I like seeing the completed minis, and I really like reflective roundup posts like this one. It’s cool to see the really great progress made this year, or changes to attitude and approach, and of exciting changes to circumstances. Thanks for sharing!

Turnip28 and The Kings own 23rd Boggy Marsh Rutabagas – Part 14 @ Imperial Rebel Ork – More amazing Turnip28 content from IRO. I just love these posts. The models look great, and they’re well-painted. I love the blue on these guys; it really pops.

Hobby Resolutions December 2022 Update and End of Year Review @ Sprues & Brews – I’ve enjoyed the resolution updates from Andy at Sprues & Brews throughout the past year, and this is the culmination of that process. A good, reflective post and some cool resolutions set out for next year.

Blitz Bowl: Lizardmen Team @ Wyrd Stones and Tackle Zones – Another beautiful set of fantasy football miniatures from this blog. I really appreciate the bold colours used in the scheme, and the Skinks look especially great!

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Since my last 5 on Friday, I’ve published the following posts: