Getting on here to write long in depth blog posts is hard for me to do. What I have been doing is keeping my Tumblr going and I have been posting there much more frequently. So I figure I will just post the links here so you can find me and I'll leave it at that for now. If you see something there that you enjoy and would like to see something more detailed about it, just let me know and I will see what I can do!
Tumblr: http://benwermers.tumblr.com/
Thanks for stopping by!
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
March Update
Hey everyone! I hope you all had a great March. I wanted to update more regularly, but I kept putting it off and soon it had been over a month and I hadn't updated at all. I still have the intention to update more frequently, we'll see how that goes.
I created more foam core boxes, this time working on Arkham Horror. I made them so that everything for all the expansions (4 large box and 4 small box expansions in total) and the main game fit. My goal was to make the game fit in as few boxes as possible, however, in the end I had to use 3 of the large boxes. Thankfully, everything fits nicely in there, though, so when I pick up the two expansions I'm missing, I won't need to redesign anything due to spacing. In order to ensure that buying the expansions didn't mean re-doing my work, I researched what components were in the expansions and measured accordingly, as if I already had them.
This first box contains the other world and mythos cards in a removable game play insert that can be set out on the table. I also have separate inserts for Arkham, Dunwich, Kingsport and Innsmouth encounters. So, depending on which boards you are playing you can pull out the ones you need and leave the rest. Then there is space for the monster bag on the side. My only concern is that with the other expansions the monster bag will be a tight fit, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
This second box contains the investigators, ancient gods, and other misc cards on one side and a removable game play insert with all of the tokens used during the game (health, sanity, etc.) on the other side.
Finally, the last box contains the remainder of the cards and tokens needed for the various expansions. They are all organized into RGPIs and for the most part are separated by expansion. Also, in this box, is a RGPI with all of the smaller cards used for playing (ie. Items, spells, allies etc.) I organized the box in this way for the purpose of simplicity and time saving when setting up for only the base game or base plus one expansion. The set up really is decreased when players don't have to shuffle through a big pile of cards just to sort them out each time.
Another project I worked on this month was continuing to paint the miniatures for Descent. I have all the small monsters for the base game done, but haven't started on the larger ones yet. I decided to start painting up some heroes to mix it up a bit. Below are the two I have done so far.
The picture is pretty decent I think. I am working toward the purchase of a better camera, so that they are fairly represented in image form. Based on this image I think the detail in the images is definitely lacking with my current equipment. I also painted up a couple of heroes from the original Descent (Pictured below.) I've been doing a lot of painting and I've been really happy about the results so far. These minis will be posted on my etsy account for purchase. My goal is that I could be painting minis and doing commission work as a source of income.
Also, I finally around to taking a couple pictures of the Clockwork Dragon from Reaper Miniatures that I painted a couple months ago. I went with a more beaten up and rusted look, compared to the clean metallic paintings I have seen so far, Doing the rust on the iron/copper was new to me but I thoroughly enjoyed working on it and I am really pleased with how it turned out.
Other than that I had a productive month. I made a light box to take pictures of my minis but lack the camera to take high quality pictures of them as I mentioned. I'm working on a few other projects that hopefully will move along this next month so I will be able to share them.
We got a few new games that I got to play. We bought Seasons, which I had heard was a great game, and I am pleased to report, it is excellent. We love it! It's quick, fun, easy to learn and I really appreciate the artwork. My wife and I have played it fairly consistently since getting it.
A few Kickstarters that we had pledged to came in this month as well. We got both Alien Frontiers and Myth. Alien Frontiers is a game I had been trying to get for a good year and a half before the Kickstarter for the 4th Edition went live. We figured out the rules fairly quickly and played a game and I loved it. It was well worth the wait. It's an excellent worker placement game with a twist of space. I enjoy the art, theme, and the game play of Alien Frontiers.
Myth, however, I was a little disappointed by. The game, once we figured out how to play, was fun and enjoyable. The problem was the rulebook. It is my opinion that the book is very confusing. For example: there were terms on cards that weren't in the book, symbols in the book that had no legend, terms used in the glossary that referred to other terms that were no where to be found and so on. It took us a few frustrating hours of searching forums, watching videos and trying to interpret symbols and vague rules to finally get through the first little bit of the game. One positive, is that its a really good looking game. The art is very high class and the miniatures are great.I'm looking forward to trying the game again, once I get the FAQs and figure out the answers to all of my questions. I think it has plenty of potential and I look forward to really enjoying it.
Hopefully you all enjoyed my long winded post. Hope your April is off to a great start and again, it is my goal to post more frequently so the posts are less novelesuqe.
I really appreciate your support. Don't forget to check out my tumbler. I am hoping to get my etsy up and running in the next week or so. Links are in my About Me to the right.
Thank you again for visiting!
I created more foam core boxes, this time working on Arkham Horror. I made them so that everything for all the expansions (4 large box and 4 small box expansions in total) and the main game fit. My goal was to make the game fit in as few boxes as possible, however, in the end I had to use 3 of the large boxes. Thankfully, everything fits nicely in there, though, so when I pick up the two expansions I'm missing, I won't need to redesign anything due to spacing. In order to ensure that buying the expansions didn't mean re-doing my work, I researched what components were in the expansions and measured accordingly, as if I already had them.
Pictured: All three Arkham Horror large boxes with removable game play and organization inserts
Pictured: ArkhamHorror box with Removable Game Play Inserts
This first box contains the other world and mythos cards in a removable game play insert that can be set out on the table. I also have separate inserts for Arkham, Dunwich, Kingsport and Innsmouth encounters. So, depending on which boards you are playing you can pull out the ones you need and leave the rest. Then there is space for the monster bag on the side. My only concern is that with the other expansions the monster bag will be a tight fit, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
Pictured: Arkham Horror box with Investigator and god cards, Removable Game Play Insert with tokens
This second box contains the investigators, ancient gods, and other misc cards on one side and a removable game play insert with all of the tokens used during the game (health, sanity, etc.) on the other side.
Pictured: Arkham Horror box filled with removable game play inserts of various components.
Finally, the last box contains the remainder of the cards and tokens needed for the various expansions. They are all organized into RGPIs and for the most part are separated by expansion. Also, in this box, is a RGPI with all of the smaller cards used for playing (ie. Items, spells, allies etc.) I organized the box in this way for the purpose of simplicity and time saving when setting up for only the base game or base plus one expansion. The set up really is decreased when players don't have to shuffle through a big pile of cards just to sort them out each time.
Another project I worked on this month was continuing to paint the miniatures for Descent. I have all the small monsters for the base game done, but haven't started on the larger ones yet. I decided to start painting up some heroes to mix it up a bit. Below are the two I have done so far.
Pictured Left to Right: Painted Syndrael and Grisban the Thirsty from Descent 2nd Ed. Base Game
The picture is pretty decent I think. I am working toward the purchase of a better camera, so that they are fairly represented in image form. Based on this image I think the detail in the images is definitely lacking with my current equipment. I also painted up a couple of heroes from the original Descent (Pictured below.) I've been doing a lot of painting and I've been really happy about the results so far. These minis will be posted on my etsy account for purchase. My goal is that I could be painting minis and doing commission work as a source of income.
Pictured Left to Right: Painted Sir Valadir and Trenloe the Strong from the Original Descent Game
Also, I finally around to taking a couple pictures of the Clockwork Dragon from Reaper Miniatures that I painted a couple months ago. I went with a more beaten up and rusted look, compared to the clean metallic paintings I have seen so far, Doing the rust on the iron/copper was new to me but I thoroughly enjoyed working on it and I am really pleased with how it turned out.
Other than that I had a productive month. I made a light box to take pictures of my minis but lack the camera to take high quality pictures of them as I mentioned. I'm working on a few other projects that hopefully will move along this next month so I will be able to share them.
We got a few new games that I got to play. We bought Seasons, which I had heard was a great game, and I am pleased to report, it is excellent. We love it! It's quick, fun, easy to learn and I really appreciate the artwork. My wife and I have played it fairly consistently since getting it.
A few Kickstarters that we had pledged to came in this month as well. We got both Alien Frontiers and Myth. Alien Frontiers is a game I had been trying to get for a good year and a half before the Kickstarter for the 4th Edition went live. We figured out the rules fairly quickly and played a game and I loved it. It was well worth the wait. It's an excellent worker placement game with a twist of space. I enjoy the art, theme, and the game play of Alien Frontiers.
Myth, however, I was a little disappointed by. The game, once we figured out how to play, was fun and enjoyable. The problem was the rulebook. It is my opinion that the book is very confusing. For example: there were terms on cards that weren't in the book, symbols in the book that had no legend, terms used in the glossary that referred to other terms that were no where to be found and so on. It took us a few frustrating hours of searching forums, watching videos and trying to interpret symbols and vague rules to finally get through the first little bit of the game. One positive, is that its a really good looking game. The art is very high class and the miniatures are great.I'm looking forward to trying the game again, once I get the FAQs and figure out the answers to all of my questions. I think it has plenty of potential and I look forward to really enjoying it.
Hopefully you all enjoyed my long winded post. Hope your April is off to a great start and again, it is my goal to post more frequently so the posts are less novelesuqe.
I really appreciate your support. Don't forget to check out my tumbler. I am hoping to get my etsy up and running in the next week or so. Links are in my About Me to the right.
Thank you again for visiting!
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Upgrading Descent 2E - Step 1 Complete
One thing I've enjoyed doing in my personal time, is upgrading my board games; to make them more my own. I have done this by getting cool dice to replace the generic ones, getting crafting boxes to store the components, etc.
Recently I was on The Esoteric Order of Gamers website and saw patterns for board game box inserts made with black foam core. They have a great look, keep your games organized and can be quite customizable.
So the plans I decided to start with were for Descent Second Edition Base Game. I wanted to be able to put everything from the expansions I have(the Base game, Labyrinth of Ruin, The Trollfens, and a few of the Lieutenant packs), but also have room for for Lair of the Wyrm (which is hard to find), the upcoming Shadow of Nerekhall, as well as the Hero and Monster Collections.
I took the plans they already had as a basic outline, but started adapting and changing them to fit my needs.
I made it so everything currently fits in the Base game, the Labyrinth of Ruin and the Trollfens boxes. The plans for the monster box originally had them separated out into smaller segments for each monster type, I decided that I would prefer to have more space for more monsters in a less organized fashion. Once they're painted and finished (as you can see they are primed) I think they will be distinct enough in appearance that finding monsters during game set up won't be an issue.
I wanted to make a removable tray that contained the health and fatigue tokens as well as any other regularly used cards, to be put on the table during game play. The tray pictured below is what I created for those needs. I designed the template so that it would hold everything I currently have and room for expansions.
I created the tray above to fit on top of the insert below. This box contains the Hero and Overlord Cards, dice, and figures for the Heroes and Lieutenants. Currently there is plenty of room to grow as far as cards are concerned, but I am a bit apprehensive about space for minis. When the next big box expansion is released, though, that problem will be remedied.
All the map tiles currently fit in the Trollfens box, although I plan on creating a solution for that eventually as well.
So there you have it. The game looks great, everything fits comfortably with room for expansions, and the organization makes for effective game play and minimized clean up.
I hope you enjoyed seeing the progress I have made and the box inserts I created. The next step for my Descent game will be painting the miniatures (see some of my painted minis here) and then it'll be done for the time being.
I am also deciding which game I'll be creating an insert for next. Currently I am deciding between Arkham Horror and Zombicide. Both games have multiple peices and could use better storage solutions with expansions included. Beyond those two I have an entire list of games I want to modify as time goes on, if there is one you'd like to see modified please let me know and I will make that a priority.
Thanks for reading and check back later to see how my different projects are progressing. I also have a tumblr where I'll be posting pictures and updates so you can like me there as well: http://benwermers.tumblr.com/.
Recently I was on The Esoteric Order of Gamers website and saw patterns for board game box inserts made with black foam core. They have a great look, keep your games organized and can be quite customizable.
So the plans I decided to start with were for Descent Second Edition Base Game. I wanted to be able to put everything from the expansions I have(the Base game, Labyrinth of Ruin, The Trollfens, and a few of the Lieutenant packs), but also have room for for Lair of the Wyrm (which is hard to find), the upcoming Shadow of Nerekhall, as well as the Hero and Monster Collections.
I took the plans they already had as a basic outline, but started adapting and changing them to fit my needs.
Pictured: Monsters in the Descent 2nd Ed. Base Box, heroes and cards in Labyrinth Box and the removable game play insert.
I made it so everything currently fits in the Base game, the Labyrinth of Ruin and the Trollfens boxes. The plans for the monster box originally had them separated out into smaller segments for each monster type, I decided that I would prefer to have more space for more monsters in a less organized fashion. Once they're painted and finished (as you can see they are primed) I think they will be distinct enough in appearance that finding monsters during game set up won't be an issue.
Pictured: Monsters in Descent 2nd Ed. Base Game Box with custom insert
I wanted to make a removable tray that contained the health and fatigue tokens as well as any other regularly used cards, to be put on the table during game play. The tray pictured below is what I created for those needs. I designed the template so that it would hold everything I currently have and room for expansions.
Pictured: My custom Removable Game Play Tray
I created the tray above to fit on top of the insert below. This box contains the Hero and Overlord Cards, dice, and figures for the Heroes and Lieutenants. Currently there is plenty of room to grow as far as cards are concerned, but I am a bit apprehensive about space for minis. When the next big box expansion is released, though, that problem will be remedied.
Pictured: bottom half of the Labyrinth of Ruin insert.
All the map tiles currently fit in the Trollfens box, although I plan on creating a solution for that eventually as well.
Pictured: All of the boxes put together in their entirety
So there you have it. The game looks great, everything fits comfortably with room for expansions, and the organization makes for effective game play and minimized clean up.
Pictured: All Descent 2nd Ed. boxes stacked
I hope you enjoyed seeing the progress I have made and the box inserts I created. The next step for my Descent game will be painting the miniatures (see some of my painted minis here) and then it'll be done for the time being.
I am also deciding which game I'll be creating an insert for next. Currently I am deciding between Arkham Horror and Zombicide. Both games have multiple peices and could use better storage solutions with expansions included. Beyond those two I have an entire list of games I want to modify as time goes on, if there is one you'd like to see modified please let me know and I will make that a priority.
Thanks for reading and check back later to see how my different projects are progressing. I also have a tumblr where I'll be posting pictures and updates so you can like me there as well: http://benwermers.tumblr.com/.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
My First Quilt - Part 2
I know I haven't updated in a couple months, but it has been a busy couple months. We moved into our new place and that took up a lot more time then originally expected putting things away and going through everything. I've also had a few other projects, including designing a CD cover among others.
I just wanted to post up the second side of the quilt I started in the last post. I hope to get back to it soon and finish it up, it's really close to being complete and I'm getting excited about how it will come out looking.
I think it's looking really good and I will hopefully be able to update more often but I will definitely try to keep everyone updated on how things are going. Let me know what you think of it so far. Have a great day!
I just wanted to post up the second side of the quilt I started in the last post. I hope to get back to it soon and finish it up, it's really close to being complete and I'm getting excited about how it will come out looking.
I think it's looking really good and I will hopefully be able to update more often but I will definitely try to keep everyone updated on how things are going. Let me know what you think of it so far. Have a great day!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
My First Quilt - Part 1
I've had an idea for a quilt for a long time and a few weeks ago I decided to finally just do it. So I created the pattern for the quilt and started figuring out measurements and then waited a week or two for a good sale at JoAnns came around (happens pretty frequently). When a good sale did come around, I went in and picked out the colors that I needed and then began the process.
I decided to do the quilt in flannel, which is one of my favorite fabrics to work with. So I washed it all and then ironed it out so I could start cutting it.
Then I started measuring it and cut it all into strips.
Next was taking all those strips and cutting them further into the squares that I would be working with to create the designs. It took a while, but I eventually had all my squares cut out.
Then I got out the sewing machine and started putting together my blocks. I decided the easiest way to do it would be to first put it into 3x3 blocks and then sew those together to create rows and then sew the rows together. Here's a couple of the first shots. Me and my wife are doing this one together and we've been getting pretty good at it, she will get the squares out and pass them to me and I will start to sew them together and while I'm doing that she takes what I have sewn already and irons it and pins it together with the next piece and sets it inline to be sewn together. It's worked pretty well.
Last Saturday we spent most of the day sewing and we finished the first side. Here is a picture of that.
If you're not sure what this is yet, its Mario, in the Raccoon (or Tanooki) suit from Super Mario 3. The backside will be put together like this side and will feature the statue that Mario can turn into with this suit. It should be pretty awesome looking.
Soon we will begin on the second side and then all we have to do is finish up the borders and and then sew it all together. So far it has been a lot of fun and I might even try to do a few more quilts or even see if there is a want for quilts to be commissioned or something like that. We will have to see.
I'd love to hear what you all think of our progress so far. Have a fantastic day and I'll catch everyone next time.
I decided to do the quilt in flannel, which is one of my favorite fabrics to work with. So I washed it all and then ironed it out so I could start cutting it.
Then I started measuring it and cut it all into strips.
Next was taking all those strips and cutting them further into the squares that I would be working with to create the designs. It took a while, but I eventually had all my squares cut out.
Then I got out the sewing machine and started putting together my blocks. I decided the easiest way to do it would be to first put it into 3x3 blocks and then sew those together to create rows and then sew the rows together. Here's a couple of the first shots. Me and my wife are doing this one together and we've been getting pretty good at it, she will get the squares out and pass them to me and I will start to sew them together and while I'm doing that she takes what I have sewn already and irons it and pins it together with the next piece and sets it inline to be sewn together. It's worked pretty well.
Last Saturday we spent most of the day sewing and we finished the first side. Here is a picture of that.
If you're not sure what this is yet, its Mario, in the Raccoon (or Tanooki) suit from Super Mario 3. The backside will be put together like this side and will feature the statue that Mario can turn into with this suit. It should be pretty awesome looking.
Soon we will begin on the second side and then all we have to do is finish up the borders and and then sew it all together. So far it has been a lot of fun and I might even try to do a few more quilts or even see if there is a want for quilts to be commissioned or something like that. We will have to see.
I'd love to hear what you all think of our progress so far. Have a fantastic day and I'll catch everyone next time.
Monday, January 21, 2013
January Update
I was hoping to get this out sooner but it kept getting pushed back. Oh well. Since I posted last (which was the end of December) I have graduated college and I'm not out again looking for a job. Super fun stuff...
I have a few things I'm going to post up quick so this shouldn't be a too long of post. First off, I finally competed the Scott Pilgrim cross stitch I started last year and got it in the frame. I shared the pattern a few posts back if you're interested in doing it.
Next up is that I finished the painting I did for my wife for her birthday last summer. I did a few minor details and put it in a frame for her. I think it did quite a bit to make it look nicer.
The last thing I did was mainly for myself. This Christmas, Wizards of the Coast (Creators of Magic the Gathering) put out a Christmas gift box and they are really nice for storing cards so I got a few of them to put my cards in and I decided to make each one different from the others so I put this design on the top of one of them. It is a design that comes from a card in the latest set (Return to Ravnica) called Tablet of the Guilds. I mainly free handed it with pencil with the help of rulers and such and then did it in black paint markers and after it was dry put a clear spray coat over top so that it doesn't scratch off easily. It turned out really nice and I have a few more boxes to put designs on top of now.
Here is the top of the box in closer detail. If you don't know much about Ravnica, where the latest sets of magic cards are set, is a plane that is covered by a gigantic city where 10 different guilds have control over different parts of it. Each guild is a two color combination out of the 5 colors in magic (each pair representing a different guild). So each bubble below is the guilds symbol. It was my favorite set when it was first visited back in 2005, and it has been a blast revisiting it this last block so far.
Beyond that I haven't done a whole lot art wise. I'm planning on starting to sketch more again, like I did earlier and trying to challenge myself to sketch everyday and work on my artwork more. I also plan on trying to update this more often, and I think it will be easier to get myself to update if I've got artwork to post. Anyway, we'll see how that all goes. Have a fantastic day and catch everyone next time.
~Ben
I have a few things I'm going to post up quick so this shouldn't be a too long of post. First off, I finally competed the Scott Pilgrim cross stitch I started last year and got it in the frame. I shared the pattern a few posts back if you're interested in doing it.
Next up is that I finished the painting I did for my wife for her birthday last summer. I did a few minor details and put it in a frame for her. I think it did quite a bit to make it look nicer.
The last thing I did was mainly for myself. This Christmas, Wizards of the Coast (Creators of Magic the Gathering) put out a Christmas gift box and they are really nice for storing cards so I got a few of them to put my cards in and I decided to make each one different from the others so I put this design on the top of one of them. It is a design that comes from a card in the latest set (Return to Ravnica) called Tablet of the Guilds. I mainly free handed it with pencil with the help of rulers and such and then did it in black paint markers and after it was dry put a clear spray coat over top so that it doesn't scratch off easily. It turned out really nice and I have a few more boxes to put designs on top of now.
Beyond that I haven't done a whole lot art wise. I'm planning on starting to sketch more again, like I did earlier and trying to challenge myself to sketch everyday and work on my artwork more. I also plan on trying to update this more often, and I think it will be easier to get myself to update if I've got artwork to post. Anyway, we'll see how that all goes. Have a fantastic day and catch everyone next time.
~Ben
Sunday, December 2, 2012
NaNoWriMo Follow-up
Ok, this is going to be a quick one. NaNoWriMo went great. It was a lot of fun and I found out that I actually enjoyed writing this month. I didn't make it all the way to 50k by the end of november. With school and the holidays I got slowed down a little bit, and didn't manage my time outside of those the greatest. If I had done a little more writing I would have been great.
I managed to make it to 46,889 out of 50,000. I spent most of Thursday and Friday last week feverishly writing on my story to try to make it. I managed to do some amazing strides, which included about 9k on Thursday and a whooping 17k on Friday. By the time it got to 10:30PM or so, I'd been writing all day long and my hands were hurting and my brain just couldn't come up with anything so I threw in the towel.
I don't feel bad about it, I learned that I liked to write and I think I will continue to do so afterwards. A lot of the South Dakota NaNo group is going to continue to write and support each other in is, so I might end up doing that, not entirely sure yet.
I'm going to work on editing the first chapter up and get it to a point that I like it and I might post it up here for anyone who wants to read it. If anything, I know where I think I want my story to go and what is going to happen, and I'm excited about that.
Ultimately, I may end up using my novel as the basis for a comic series/graphic novel. That's been a goal of mine for a long time. I've wanted to write and draw a graphic novel or a comic since high school, just never thought anyone would want to see anything I could do or read anything I could write.
I'm starting to get over my fear of being rejected finally, so I'm going to work on it and put something out. All I got was good feedback from those who read part of my novel for the month. Anyway, my "short" post is getting longer so I'll end it there. I unfortunately don't have any art to post with this one as most things I'm working on right now are presents and I don't want them to accidentally be seen by the recipient of the gift.
Good Night everyone and have a fantastic holiday season!
I managed to make it to 46,889 out of 50,000. I spent most of Thursday and Friday last week feverishly writing on my story to try to make it. I managed to do some amazing strides, which included about 9k on Thursday and a whooping 17k on Friday. By the time it got to 10:30PM or so, I'd been writing all day long and my hands were hurting and my brain just couldn't come up with anything so I threw in the towel.
I don't feel bad about it, I learned that I liked to write and I think I will continue to do so afterwards. A lot of the South Dakota NaNo group is going to continue to write and support each other in is, so I might end up doing that, not entirely sure yet.
I'm going to work on editing the first chapter up and get it to a point that I like it and I might post it up here for anyone who wants to read it. If anything, I know where I think I want my story to go and what is going to happen, and I'm excited about that.
Ultimately, I may end up using my novel as the basis for a comic series/graphic novel. That's been a goal of mine for a long time. I've wanted to write and draw a graphic novel or a comic since high school, just never thought anyone would want to see anything I could do or read anything I could write.
I'm starting to get over my fear of being rejected finally, so I'm going to work on it and put something out. All I got was good feedback from those who read part of my novel for the month. Anyway, my "short" post is getting longer so I'll end it there. I unfortunately don't have any art to post with this one as most things I'm working on right now are presents and I don't want them to accidentally be seen by the recipient of the gift.
Good Night everyone and have a fantastic holiday season!
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