Subbuteo: Foosball meets Shove Ha' Penny meets FIFA

For those of you from Europe you will probably already be familiar with this game. However, while Subbuteo may have an 80 year history there, the game never made it to the other side of the Atlantic. At least not in any major way, and in fact I have never met anyone else over here who has heard of this game.

JADE is of course based in Toronto, Canada, but I have also travelled around the continent quite bit, and frequented many game stores. In the dozens I have visited, I have never seen this game for sale. I had to get my copy from the UK based Online Store: Subbuteo World. Luckily they are affordable and just awesome.

They have a great selection of Subbuteo stuff, new and old, for low prices. But for us North American's I still haven't answered the question: What the hell is Subbuteo?

Essentially, Subbuteo is a dexterity based soccer (Football for the rest of the world) game where each player takes control of a team, and plays out a match of soccer by flicking their player pieces around to move and manipulate the ball.

It is sort of like a combination of Crokinole or Shove Ha' Penny, and Foosball. If that sounds strange and difficult to play, then you are on the right track. But of course the pros make it look easy:

Despite it's long history, Subbuteo isn't the first Tabletop Flick-Football game. Before Subbuteo's Release in 1947, there was a game called Newfooty that worked in much the same way. Well for whatever reason, after Subbuteo's release, and Newfooty's desperate attempts to market themselves as the "Original Game", Newfooty disappeared in 1952; leaving Subbuteo to Reign supreme.

Playing Subbuteo is very simple and straight forward. Whoever's player touched the ball last is consider the attacker, and has the right to flick their pieces at the ball until they fail to make contact with it.

After the attacker has flicked their player and the ball is in motion, the defending player may make a defensive flick to try and intercept the ball, or move into a defensive position.

If no one makes contact with the ball, the players alternate flicks until one player becomes the attacker. And thus play goes back and forth as the two players fight for control over the ball.

For some standardization in game play, there is a specific way you have to flick the pieces. Now may sound pretty anal (and it is), but it does mean that at least everyone is playing the same way.

A "Flick" has to be made from your fingernail, and your finger can not be braced in any fashion to increase its power. Mine demonstration above was a pretty weak flick, but you get the idea.

Your keeper works a little differently from the rest of your players. Rather than flicking him, you move him around on a stick that slips under the back of the net. And sadly you have to avoid the temptation to whip it back and forth from side to side until the ball is in motion.

I also recommend that you get a set of Flicking Goalkeepers. There are rules for you to pull your goalie and replace him with a player you can flick. Trust me this comes up all the time for new players. Invest the $10.

Aside from the Players and Goalkeeper the only other piece is the ball. A standard regulation ball is 22m (white). However there are also 18mm balls (Orange) which are called "High-Scoring Balls" and boy are they ever! I find when using a 22mm Ball, games of Subbuteo have fairly average scores comparable to an actual soccer game. The first time I used the 18mm ball, our final score was a whopping 8:5.

So if you want games with more goals, go 18mm. If you want something more difficult/regulation go 22mm.

You can also get a ton of different patterns from standard white, to old-school brown leather and anything in between.

Perhaps more importantly you can also get just about any team in any European League, from any era. Here is the Premier League Liverpool Team I got from my friend Matt (who shockingly is from Liverpool). Being sanctioned merchandise,  the boxed teams are often a lot nicer then the starter sets. They just seem to glide with more ease across the pitch.

Aside from a couple of differences in mechanics, the rules pretty much flow like soccer. Now most of the rules I have seen in these starting boxes are quite rudimentary and to really understand the game I had to look up a more complete set. As a result, I currently use the Federation of International Sports Table Football Rules version 5.0. It gave me the complete break down of everything I need to know.

Be warned, F.I.S.T.F.'s rule set is 60 pages long. But it is a fast read with a lot of pictures.

That is Subbuteo in a nut shell. It has a rich history, with lots of support and hobbyists. If you are in to soccer, dexterity games, or just want to try something new then Subbuteo is worth a look.


Written by: Andrew Gregory

Sarah's Space Wolf Terminators

A Couple years back as a Christmas Gift, I gave my younger sister Sarah these 3 Pewter Space Wolf Terminators. She had started to use Terminators in her army and remember which model was subbing in for which was getting confusing. She needed something proper to stand in.

So I scoured Ebay and found these three Terminators with Assault Cannons (That is what they are called right? I am a Chaos Space Marine Player and we don't have those.) Despite their weaponry I figured they would fit the roll perfectly.

Well, we kind of fell out of the hobby for a bit, but this year we decided to pick it up again in earnest. And it has been a great success, as Sarah finished her first full squad!

These guys were really the test for Sarah's paint scheme. She had tried a couple of colour combos before, but settled on this for how classic and sharp it looked over a black primer.

She also made sure to pay pay attention to the details, and really study how she wanted to bring her Space Wolf Paint Scheme to life. I think she did a great job, making her first three Games Workshop minis look the part.

This was also her first time doing basing for which we used some snow flock, and Grass tufts mimicking the terrain of Fenris; homeworld of the Space Wolves.

Sarah's Next projects are her Army's HQ Njal Stormcaller and Her Venerable Dreadnought, which we assembled last night. Soon her Space Wolves will be ready to go!


Written by: Andrew Gregory

All of the 1st Ed Spell Ingredients

A couple years back while doing some in depth research into the tome of 1st ed. AD&D I decided there was a very important table missing: Spell Ingredients. Dozens of spells throughout the Player's Handbook using Material Components, and the only way to know which spell uses what is to read through each spell, and search for the component listed in the description.

That works fine for the player, who just needs to know what ingredient they need for each spell, but what about the Dungeon Master? If you want to set up a functioning magic shop in game, you might want to know the ingredients that your players will need.

So for that very purpose here is a list of all the spell ingredients you could need, divided by Vegetable, Animal, Mineral, Artifact and Macabre.

Vegetable

Usually cheap and plentiful, here is every ingredient that contains plant matter:

Acaia Gum
Acorns
Animal Bait, Vegetable
Basil
Burrs
Camphor Tree Resin
Carrot
Carrot, Dried
Casting Mater, Vegetable
Catnip
Corn, Cob
Corn Extract, Powdered
Corn, Kernels
Flour, White
Flower Petals
Garlic
Green Plants
Holly Berries
Humus
Leaves, Oak
Leaves, Holly
Leaves, Mistletoe
Leaves, Shamrock
Leaves, Stinging Nettles
Leeks
Licorice Root
Licorice Root, Shavings
Mandrake Root
Marigold Flowers
Nut Shells
Oil
Oil, Sweet
Peach Pit
Pinecones
Pink Orchid Essence
Poppy Dust
Rare Mushroom
Rare Mushroom Powder
Rose Petals
Saffron
Savory
Seeds, Legume
Seeds, Sesame
Short Reeds
Skunk Cabbage Leaves
Split Dried Peas
Sprig of Evergreen
Straw
Sugar
Tree Bark
Tree Bark, Chips
Tree Bark, Oak
Twigs
Vinegar
Wine
Wood
Wood, Oak
Wood, Small Pieces
Wytchwood

Animal

Vegans be warned, here are all the spell ingredients using animal products:

Animal Bait, Meat
Animal Horn
Bat Guano
Caterpillar Cocoon
Cord of Animal Sinew
Crickets, Live
Digestive Fluid, Giant Slug
Down
Dung
Dung, Scrappings from Bottom of Pile
Dung, Strong Animal
Eggshell
Eyelashes
Fat
Fat, Animal
Fat, Pig
Fat, Solidified Milk
Feathers, White
Feathers, Owl
Feathers Steeped in Wine, Owl
Firefly
Fire Fly, Live
Fur
Fur, Bat
Grasshopper Legs
Hair
Honey
Honeycomb
Ivory
Ivory, Strips
Miniature Carp, Live
Pearl
Peals, Black
Pearls, Black, Crushed
Pearls, Crushed
Rotten Eggs
Scales, Snake
Shell, Tortoise
Shell, Turtle
Skin, Snake
Spider Web
Spiders, Live
Tongue, Snake

Mineral

From simple rocks to diamonds and Luckstone, here's a list of every rock you need to cast your spells:

Agate
Alum
Amber
Amber, Powdered
Bitumen
Black Opal
Black Opal, Powdered
Brass
Brass Dust
Bronze
Bronze, Small Disc
Carbon
Carbon, Powdered
Casting Matter, Mineral
Chalk
Charcoal
Citrine
Citrine, Powdered
Clay
Coal
Copper
Copper, Short Piece
Crystals, Clear
Crystals, Large
Crystals, Rock
Crystals, Sheet
Crystals, Mercuric-Nitric Acid
Crystals, Yellow
Diamond
Diamond, Crushed
Diamond Dust
Diamond, Powdered
Dirt
Dirt, Graveyard
Dust
Emerald
Emerald, Powdered
Flint
Gems
Gems, Large
Gold
Gold Dust
Granite Blocks
Iron
Iron Filings
Iron, Powdered
Iron Pyrite
Iron Sheet
Lime
Lime, Powdered
Loam
Lodestone
Luckstone
Luckstone, Powdered
Magnets
Mercury
Mica
Mineral Prisms
Mineral Spheres
Mud
Phosphorus
Pitch
Quartz
Quartz, Smoky
Rocks
Sand
Salt
Salts, Alkaline
Salts, Bromine
Saltpetre
Sapphire
Sapphire, Powdered
Silver
Silver, Powdered
Soot
Steel
Steel, Small Piece
Stones
Sulphur
Talc
Talc Powder
Topaz
Topaz, Powdered
White Sapphire
White Sapphire, Sheet

Artifact
For every item that is crafted, dyed, or cut, here is every ingredient created by mortal hands:

Bags, Small
Bars, Iron
Bars, Iron Tiny
Bar, Metal
Bars, Magnetised Iron
Beads, Crystal
Beads, Glass
Beads, Prayer
Blade, Iron
Brazier
Brazier, Brass
Bucket, Miniature
Candles, Black
Candles, Small
Chest, Mastercrafted
Chest, Miniature Replica
Circlet, Jade
Clay Model, Ziggurat
Coloured Sand Powder, Blue
Coloured Sand Powder, Red
Coloured Sand Powder, Yellow
Cone, Crystal
Cone, Glass
Crescent, Animal Horn
Divination Counters
Doll, of the Caster
Drum, Small
Eye Ointment
Fleece
Glass
Glass, Sheet
Glass, Yellow Tinted
Gloves
Gloves, Leather
Gloves, Snake Skin
Gold Wire
Holy Symbol
Holy Water
Horn, Silver and Small
Ice, Block
Incense
Ink
Ink, Alchemists Lead Based
Ink, Cheap
Ink, Fine
Ink, Powdered Rubies and Daemon Ichor
Ink, Squid
Jug, of Water
Knotted String
Lampblack
Leather
Leather Loops, Small
Mirror, Silver
Oaken Club
Parchment
Plaque, Ivory
Potion, Heroism
Rings, Copper and Zinc, Welded together in a line
Rod, Carved Ivory
Rod, Crystal
Rod, Crystal, Filled with a Phosphorescent Material
Rod, Forked Metal
Rod, Glass
Rod, Iron and Small
Rod, Metal
Rod, Silver and Small
Rope, 5ft.-30ft. Long
Shovel, Miniature
Silk
Silk, Multi-Coloured
Snow , Ball
Statue, Black Canine
Statue, Ivory Canine
Statue, Ivory, of Caster
Sticks, Gem Inlaid
Sticks, Charcoal
String
Sword, Platinum with Copper-Zinc grip and Pommel
Thread
Vellum Sheet
Vermilion
Vial, Dust
Vial, Water
Warhammer
Wax
Whistle, Silver

Macabre

There are some things that shop keeps don't keep out on their store shelves. Here is a list of all the Macabre items you could need.

Blood
Blood, Black Dragon
Blood, Humanoid
Blood, Umber Hulk
Bones
Bones, Humanoid
Bones, Dragon
Heart, Humanoid
Heart, Hen
Human Flesh
Humanoid Pineal Gland, Powdered
Sacrificial Animal, Live
Undead Remains

And there you have it, that is every ingredient from the 1st ed Player's Handbook. If you think I missed somehting or disagree with where I put something in the lsits, let me know in the comments!

I hope you can use this in you 1st ed games, and that it makes your magic shops more realistic.


Written by: Andrew Gregory

Chaos Rhino 267

Diving back into my old Warhammer 40k Stuff from my high school years, I found a predator tank that was sadly mangled beyond repair. The turret was busted, and the side sponsons were broken and had too many pieces missing. I would've needed to scour the internet for spare parts, or purchase a whole new Predator tank to fix it. It was going to cost too much, and I had no plans to use a Predator Tank in my current army. What needed was another Rhino.

So using some parts from Rhino Kit I had, I slapped some doors on to the side, and used a circular piece of plastic to fill the hole left by the predator's turret. I am not sure where that piece came from, but it might have come from a Defiler.

After that it was simply a matter of adding some decorations. I used a few brass transfers from Forge World, and some left over bits from the Rhino kit. I feel Chaos Undivided stuff needs to ahve those spikes. It just fits the persona.

For the front spikes I to had modify the standard piece that comes in the Rhino kit a little bit. I wanted the spikes flush with the front, but they are normally sticking on another brace. I think it looks a lot better and just a little more balanced.

Here is a good view of the top. I think the Defiler part works quite well for a hatch, and over all I am pleased with the recovery.

And as a final touch, since I often fight against Space Wolves, I but one of their helmets on a spike, Painted in the same way as my younger sister Sarah's Army, but of course splattered with mud. Death to the False Emperor!


Written by: Andrew Gregory

15 Giant Crabs

Since Game 1 of Hymns of a Vagabond The Dm Adam and I have been talking about a town called Osteyek; which is the largest settlement in the area. My current character, Akelius Flint has never been there before, but knows Osteyek for its claim to fame: Giant Crabs. They are delicious, and mostly shipped out of town to be consumed by the world's elite, as a delicacy.

Crabbing is the main industry in Osteyek and attracts adventurers for and wide, who are hired by different Crab Brokers to travel into the swamps and kill and capture these beasts. Obviously that was where my character was going to end up. 

It took me a while to find something suitable for 15mm Giant Crabs. To my knowledge there is no regular miniature for a Giant Crab in the 15mm scale, so I had to do some looking for a regular sized 28mm crab mini to fit the bill. These are the minis I found, and they are from a familiar set from Reaper Miniatures.

They were perfect. But there was one problem: Reaper only sells this crab in a set of three other familiars, none of which I wanted. I needed at least 3 crabs, and didn't want to spend almost $30 on something so meager.

Luckily, they sell the individual bits from the pack; unluckily each crab comes with a this stupid octopus wearing an old diving helmet:

Seriously, I hate this thing... And I have 3 of them.

But regardless, I have my 15mm Giant Crabs and they are awesome, so I can't complain much.

I imagine I will get to face these in the next few games or so, and I couldn't be more excited. I intentionally painted them like the Mud Crabs from Skyrim to fit this role. Just a little homage to a fantastic title.


Written by: Andrew Gregory.

15mm Giant Ants

Giant bugs are a classic enemy in D&D, and something I use with some regularity. You can put them almost anywhere without them seeming out of place, and they are usually at just the right level of toughness for lower level and higher level characters alike, depending on the monster that you use.

These Giant Ants come from Khurasan Miniatures, and fit the position nicely for just about any giant insect. From ants to beetles these guys will serve for any bug without wings.

I also have an ant hole for these guys to come out of, and with 10 ants in total it should make for an interesting encounter.


Written by: Andrew Gregory

15mm Bears

Do you consider bears a classic D&D monster, and do you use bears in your wilderness encounters? Well, I do on occasion, but I often find that they are little over powered for a light encounter. I mean it is bear after all, and people don't normally win fights against such creatures.

However, for higher level player characters Bears are pretty good encounters. I got this pair from Ral Partha Europe's Demonworld Line, and I couldn't be more pleased with the sculpt. They are really nice minis and the perfect size for a brown bear or a grizzly.

I painted these guys up a couple weeks back for use in JADE's Hymns of a Vagabond Campaign. My Character was travelling in the wilderness, and there was a chance I could encounter these mighty beasts. Thankfully I didn't.

In 1st edition AD&D (the system our Hymns of a Vagabond uses) Bears have anywhere from 5-6HD, 3 attacks dealing 1d8/1d6/1d12. They are a brutal enemy to have to fight. Especial as For the larger varieties, there is a 50% chance their will be two of them.

So I am glad that my Level 2 Fighter Aeklius Flint didn't have to fight them during his trip... But now that I have painted them, I am sure I am only tempting fate.


Written by: Andrew Gregory

More Pictures of the Forge World Nurgle Dreadnought

A While back I painted a Forge World Nurgle Dreadnought and posted the pictures.

You can check it out here if you are interested: Plague Marine Dreadnought (Hellbrute) 

Back then I wasn't as good at manipulating photos, so Here are a bunch of new shots, with some layers over them allowing you to really see the details.

So here he is, in all his glory. From the looks of the Forge World website, this model is actually discontinued, and you can only get the new one.

I actually think I like the sculpt of this one better than the new. However, the new scuplt does have some really great features. I will probably get it one day.

But in the mean time, this is the one I have, and I still love it. In the handful of battles I have used it in, it has survived every single one.

Such a good success rate is pretty gratifying seeing as it took me a total of 36 hrs to get it just right.

I hope you enjoyed the more detailed shots, and hopefully this year you will see a little more of him on the field.


Written by: Andrew Gregory

15mm Giant Spider

At first I really didn't like this 15mm Giant Spider from Splintered Light Miniatures. I thought it was really goofy. But hey, it came in one of their dungeon sets and a Giant Spider mini is a Giant Spider mini. So I let it slide, bought the set of minis and painted it up a few days ago.

My Cousin Adam told me that there might be a chance of encountering a giant spider in Hymns of a Vagabond, so I brought him out on the table for that game last night (09/02/16), and Adam started snickering, but I didn't know why. I just thought he agreed with me that the spider was really goofy.

But That wasn't what he was laughing out, and he waited until I actually encountered and fought the creature to show me this from the 1st ed AD&D Monster Manual:

That image can be found on page 91 of the 1st ed AD&D monster Manual, And now you know exactly why they made the giant spider so goofy looking. It was straight out of the book!

Akelius Flint (shown) has already stood up against a Giant Spider. However, rather then running, He and his party stayed, and fought the beast; neither succumbing to its fangs or its poison. One of the luckiest fights I have ever been in.

Written by: Andrew Gregory