15mm Guards With Crossbows

Giving your town guards a bit a range is always a great way to increase their deadliness, and also make the battle a little more interesting then your standard street brawl.

These crossbowmen from Splintered Light Miniatures are from the same Norman Saxon line as my 15mm Guards with Swords. Which is nice, since it helps in larger conflicts to have some standardization for quick identification on the tabletop.

Personally I like giving my Guards Crossbows. This isn't for much more of a reason than I like the idea of it, but I also find that the extra turn it takes to reload makes the hail of fire persistent without being constant; giving your players a chance to react. This is particularly helpful for lower level parties who can often use the break.

I actually recently escaped these fellows as they tried to arrest me in the town of Osteyek. It was some misunderstanding over a spell book that I... found. But either way they insisted on taking me in and then shot at me when I refused.

Despite the overwhelming odds against me, some how I managed to give them the slip and keep my spell book. However,t I am sure that I will see them around later in some other town. They are, after all, part of the Generic Guard Legion, and they pop up every where.


Written by: Andrew Gregory

15mm Ogre

So despite his 28mm stature, this is in fact 15mm ogre and one of the largest minis I have painted in a long time. After a game where we encountered a troll, and used this ogre mini as a stand in I knew I would have to get him painted.

Look at the eyes

Well my practice and patience with 15mm has paid off. I discovered that my hand was steady enough to not only paint eyes but also irises. Notice the red eyes, with yellow iris and black pupils in the picture above.

One of my favourite features of this mini is the really interesting scaling on it's back. It just looks so gross! I love it, and think really adds something to to the figure. Good work Splintered Light Miniatures!

Thankfully I was able to slay the beast with the help of three of my comrades, but it was almost a disaster, that would have ended with the party slain in the swamp.

As soon as I showed the DM this painted he fell in love with it and promised to include an Ogre/Troll in another game... Which in retrospect probably isn't a good thing.

Well either way you will see him on the table top soon I am sure!


Written by: Andrew Gregory

The 4 Ways of Being Chaotic Neutral: Fifth Edition

Well, the JADE boys are back from a week long vacation up in Ontario's beautiful cottage country and of course we all have gaming on the brain. And what better way to kick off the blog during our week back then to explore what it means to be Chaotic Neutral in 5th ed Dungeons and Dragons.

For those following along, you can check out our discussion of the Chaotic Neutral alignment in 1st ed AD&D, 2nd Ed AD&D and D&D 3. For those wondering why I went straight from 3rd ed to 5th, as you may well know, D&D 4 saw a major change in how alignments worked. Rather than having the standard array of 9 different personality types, 4th Ed condenses it into 5 options: Good, Lawful Good, Evil, Chaotic Evil, and unaligned. Since 4th Ed doesn't have a Chaotic Neutral alignment, we move straight onto 5th Ed.

The question we are exploring is whether or not 5th Ed's definition of Chaotic Neutral let's you "do whatever you want" in game. This reading did not fit with 1st or 2nd edition, and though 3rd edition came close, there were some important qualifiers. So let's see if 5th ed gives you the freedom to do anything.

Unlike other alignment descriptions, 5th Ed's are tiny stumps; no more than a sentence or two long. However what they lack in length they make up for in conciseness.

4. The Libertarian

It took me a long time to come up with this title for the 5th ed Chaotic Neutral alignment, and while Libertarian doesn't quite fit, its not a bad descriptor. Here is what the folks from Wizard's of the Coast have to say about Chaotic Neutral in D&D 5:

"Chaotic Neutral creatures follow their whims, holding their personal freedoms above all else. Many barbarians, rogues and some bards are Chaotic Neutral."

Just like a libertarian who holds personal freedom and choice above all else, 5th Ed's definition let's you follow your whims, and make your own way in the world as you see fit.

Of all the versions of the Chaotic Neutral alignment we have looked at, 5th Ed's comes the closest to letting you do what you want: it evens says in the definition that you follow your whims. Of course this doesn't mean the alignment is impossible to violate. Certainly, too much good or evil could definitely swing you in the direction of either alignment, but unlike other editions 5th Ed's does not have a condition where you must spread chaos, or maintain some sort of balance. You just do what ever you want, as long is as it is not consistently too good or too evil.

And there you have it. Across 5ed of Dungeons & Dragons, one of them actually lets you do what you whatever want. I was actually a little surprised by the simplicity of the definition, I partially feel that 5th Ed's Chaotic Neutral could be easily abused by the player, or potentially give them an excuse to not roleplay and just be a little silly in game. While I am sure there are player's out there who could handle such an open ended definition, I worry that many player's couldn't and that you would end up with a party that simply doesn't work well together.

What do you think? Does 5th Ed's definition of Chaotic Neutral let you do whatever you want, or does the emphasis on the importance of personal freedom limit what your character can do so as not to oppress others? Let us know in the comments!

With 5th Ed's Chaotic Neutral Alignment explored, we are finished the 4 ways of being Chaotic Neutral. Are there any other Alignments you want us to explore? Let us know in the comments, and the research will begin!


Written by: Andrew Gregory

The 4 Ways of Being Chaotic Neutral: Third Edition

Last week we looked at what it means to be Chaotic Neutral in 2nd Ed AD&D and the week before we looked at what it means in 1st ed AD&D. This week we move away from the TSR versions of the game, towards the more modern Wizards of the Coast interpretations. Starting with 3rd Edition Dungeons and Dragons, we will look at how the definition of Chaotic Neutral changed from 2nd to 3rd, and answer the big question: Does the Chaotic Neutral Alignment let you do whatever you want?

Yeah, yeah it's a 3.5 manual not a 3rd I know, I know.

Where 2nd Ed AD&D redefined Chaotic Neutral to refer to a lunatic, 3rd edition changes it yet again, with a more "rebel without a cause"attitude in mind.

3. The Free Spirit

I think that 3rd ed's definition returns to a more traditional view of Chaotic Neutral than previous editions. It does however, tone it down a bit into something that I think is more playable: rather than the Agent of Chaos featured in 1st ed, you are some one who marches to the beat their your own drum.

"Chaotic Neutral, “Free Spirit”: A chaotic neutral character follows his whims. He is an individualist first and last. He values his own liberty but doesn’t strive to protect others’ freedom. He avoids authority, resents restrictions, and challenges traditions. A chaotic neutral character does not intentionally disrupt organizations as part of a campaign of anarchy. To do so, he would have to be motivated either by good (and a desire to liberate others) or evil (and a desire to make those different from himself suffer). A chaotic neutral character may be unpredictable, but his behaviour is not totally random. He is not as likely to jump off a bridge as to cross it. Gimble, a bard who wanders the land living by his wits, is chaotic neutral. Chaotic neutral is the best alignment you can be because it represents true freedom from both society’s restrictions and a do-gooder’s zeal."

So you don't intentionally spread chaos like in 1st Ed, and your actions aren't guided by randomness as in 2nd ed. Rather, in 3rd Ed you live by your precepts, outside of society. You don't disrupt society, nor do you seek to improve it. Rather you view yourself as an outsider, and do things your own way: a true rebel without a cause.

But does this definition let you do whatever you want? Well, yes I think it does... Sort of. You can do whatever you want, as long as it does interfere with society or tip the balance in favour of good or evil. So in a way you can certainly do whatever action comes to you, however like in other editions, your actions have to be conscious to make sure they are not too good, or too evil. Anything that is going to tip the balance from good or evil goes against your alignment, so you have to consider that when acting. Thus Stealing from your party for personal gain becomes evil, but stealing from your party to feed a hungry person maintains that balance, without intentional disrupting the order of things.

Like the example given in the definition, A free spirited Bard, or a character like Tom Bombadil from Lord of the the rings fit this role perfectly. A real life example I always like to think about is the late great David Bowie: A man who did as he pleased, not in the name of good, or evil, but in the name of art, expression, and free spiritedness. On the other hand, thieves, bikers and tricksters are likely better suited for other chaotic alignments.

Oh that guy!

So it seems that you can sort of doo whatever you want in 3rd Ed D&D, however there does seem to be a glaring limitation: there doesn't seem to be much reason for your chaotic neutral to go on an adventure. Since most adventures involve disrupting the status quo (for good or for worse); Wouldn't going on a quest of any sort likely constitute an alignment violation? Of course I can think of many quests that a CN character could participate in, but I am talking about your run of the mill adventure. It seems to me that their alignment would prevent them from joining, or at least being a useful/reliable member of the party.

What do you think? Does 3rd Ed's definition of Chaotic Neutral allow you to do whatever you want as long as it doesn't disrupt the status quo? Or does it provide more freedom? And do you think a 3rd ed character going on a quest to save the world constitutes an alignment violation?

Tell us your thoughts in the comments and be sure to check back next Wednesday when we look at 5th ed D&D.


Written by: Andrew Gregory

15mm Guards

If it's one thing I've learned over the years of playing fantasy tabletop RPG's, it's that you can never have enough guards. In game I find guards give player's limitations and challenges to over come if they so choose. Guards also give the player's actions consequences: "No you can't steal that gold necklace from the shop, the town guard is watching." Guards can force roleplay and creative thinking. However, on the tabletop however, guards often end up being more then your mighty miniature collection can handle.

The problem is that you can never have enough, with just the right spread of equipment. For higher level players or larger parties, an encounter with 12 guards is not unreasonable. But if you are using 28mm minis it is prohibitively expensive. That is where 15mm minis and Splintered Light Miniatures come in. These guys are from their 15mm Dark Age Historic Line under the Normans.

The Nomran troops cost $9 for 12 figures with spears and swords. Which is about 1/6th what you would pay for the same number of 25/28mm figures. that means large encounters with lots of guards become possible, allowing you to truly set the scene.

I gave these guys Yellow sleeves so that they would stand from rest of the party. Not many of my players use yellow in their character concepts, and being our "generic town guards" means that they will also likely see a lot of use on the table, and I wanted them to be noteworthy.

I hope to have 4 matching spearmen and 4 matching crossbowmen by Friday, as I assume they will be featured heavily in my upcoming Hymns of a Vagabond game. Fingers crossed that I can get that done.


Written by: Andrew Gregory

15mm Swamp Beast

So, I ordered this strange guy from Essex Miniatures without having any idea what it looked like. The description said swamp beast (which was pretty vague) and there was no picture showing what the mini looked like. Well, my curiosity won out and I decided to take the plunge and add it to my order. This strange looking creature showed up at my door a few weeks later.

I didn't think I would have a alot of use for him him, but when using minis in D&D games you need all the monsters you can get. So, I gave him a base and he sat on my shelf for a couple of months. I had almost forgotten about it until my character Akelius Flint had to fight an alligator in a swamp, and this guy was just the right size to fill in

I painted him in a generic green, with idea that he could stand for any number of reptilian monsters. Sadly I didn't have him painted for his first fight, but the next time we get this monster in game he will be ready.


Written by: Andrew Gregory