5 on Friday 22/11/24

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, books, 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 2024’s Christmas boxes, including the excellent Ironjawz Wrekkamob – We’re hurtling towards Christmas, and that means it’s time for battleforces! These are the annual boxes from Games Workshop that offer some good savings and a big ol’ box of sprues! This yeah, my favourite one is definitely the Ironjawz:

I really like this box. Do I need it? Probably not, but I’ve not actually got any of these minis, as they’re all from the more recent set of Ironjawz releases. Big Pig and Brute variants be tempting, yo!

Affiliate Links:

• Element Games
• Wayland Games

Chaosium releases an Investigator’s Guide for Cthulhu by Gaslight –  I love Call of Cthulhu, and I really enjoy the 1920s-ish era vibe it’s got going on. That said, I’m also very excited at jumping into some Victorian-era cosmic horror, courtesy of Cthulhu by Gaslight:

Unlike most setting-specific sourcebooks, this is actually a standalone game. If you want to play in the gaslight setting, this is all you need, as it contains all the rules for Call of Cthulhu, alongside setting-specific rules and background. This maes it a great book for existing players, and for newbies looking to explore some Victorian horror!

Affiliate links:

• DriveThruRPG

Dranda Games releases Explorers of Navoria – I hadn’t heard of Navoria at all until it was brought to the table a couple of weeks ago. A friend’s Kickstarter copy arrived and we gave it a go. Now, it’s coming into retail channels.

I really enjoyed the game. It was pretty easy to pick up and play, and it was cute. Both of these are big plusses for me! I’d definitely be keen to see that game surface at club again in the near future.

Affiliate Links:

• Wayland Games

Snarling Badger Studios releases the 2024 edition of their zine, Snarl – Snarling Badger is a great little publisher, with some cool unique games under their belts. I picked up last year’s Snarl and really enjoyed it. Now they’re doing a 2024 edition:

As with the previous edition, this zine contains little expansions and extra content for Snarling Badger’s various games, including Reign in Hell, Deth Wizards, and MAJESTIC 13. It also includes a little microgame. Last time, this a a tank combat game, whilst this time it’s all about goblins!

Affiliate Links:

• Wargames Vault

Modiphius releases Buffer Time, a Star Trek Lower Decks card game – I really like Lower Decks. I think it’s funny whilst also being respectful of the franchise that it sends up. That can be a hard line to walk, and they continually hit it out of the park, and I loved the crossover episode with Strange New Worlds. Now, Modiphius is putting out a little card game:

It’s just a little push-your-luck game that plays in about half an hour. It’s light, fun, and quick-paced; much like the TV show on which it is based, I suppose. Worth a look, I reckon.

Affiliate Links:

• Wayland Games

Blog Posts & Articles

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

Brewdog GT ’24: Power Picks and Coolest Lists @ Plastic Craic – Some fun lists and good commentary. I like the look of the Troggoth list, and I might give it a go. The Turtle list looks fun, too! Also, [obligatory comment about Brewdog being a terrible company].

Trindie, But Make it Cool – 5 Games I’m Jiving To Now @ Burn After Running – I trust this site, and a recommendation from them really carries weight for me. Cloud Empress looks particularly fun, and I’m intrigued by His Majesty The Worm. Lancer continues to interest me, too.

Delving the Virtual Depths – Clank app review @ Dude! Take Your Turn! – This is a good review of what seems like a solid digital edition of an excellent board game. The UI looks really clean, which is important to me as it’s my biggest complaint about some other board game adaptations. Lookin’ at you, Terraforming Mars!

Silver Bayonet Battle Report: Echoes of the Past @ Woehammer – This ia a fun writeup of what seems to have been a really good game of Silver Bayonet. Woehammer is one of a few places that have really been pushing my interest in this game…

Shattered Lance @ A Loft Full of Lead – Another Turnip28 Kickstarter? Yes, please! I’m not sure why this blog post is the first place I’m seeing this… I need to be better at reading Patreon posts… Still, I share this author’s excitement for more amazing minis for Max Fitzherald’s insane, veggie-centric world.

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There have been a few posts since my last 5 on Friday:

• A review of the movie, An American Pickle
• A Le Guin-tastic Humble Bundle
• Miraculous Magic Monday
• First Faction Files post featuring the Talamasca
• My initial thoughts on Nucleum
• Group Fade on Throwback Thursday

No painting, but also no new miniatures purchased or printed.

Painting, purchasing, and printing totals so far this year:

• Purchased: 121 minis
• Printed: 116 minis
• Painted: 288 minis