IAF Dehavilland FG5 Vampires

I Painted this Squadron of 1/285th scale Dehavilland Vampires for use in the first mission in the Crisis in Kashmir Campaign for Check Your 6 Jet Age. The Dehavilland Vampire is a strange plane. They were created in 1945 to defend British airfields during the second world war, although they were never actually deployed. The British government was afraid of escalating the conflict with Germany, and that the Luftwaffe would retaliate with their jets in kind.

These planes did see action in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War by India,  and were used as light bombers early in the conflict, but were soon replaced with more modern aircraft as they were easily out matched by Pakistani Canadair Sabres.

In the first mission 4 of these planes are task to take out as many of 10 Pakistani Tanks using their rockets before 2 Canadair Sabres can intercept them and force them to retreat.

I look forward to playing it!


Written by Andrew Gregory

Map of Maze of the Minotaur Game 8

Add caption

This absolutely insane map was designed by Elijah for Maze of the Minotaur Game 8. In it Dave and I were tasked to travel the planes of Earth, Fire, Water, and Air in order to bring a diplomat to negotiate with the Angels. The Minotaurs had broken free from their labyrinths and begun their war against mankind, and we needed the Angels help.

This was hands down the largest dungeon we have crawled through in JADE's Maze of the Minotaur Campaign, taking us a full 5 games to complete.

The flower like structure represents a nexus between the the realms, and needless to say we got lost many times trying to find our way towards the city of the Angels.

It was a long haul but we pushed through!


Written by: Andrew Gregory

M48 Patton Tanks

The very first mission in the Crisis in Kashmir Campaign for Check Your 6! Jet Age, four Indian Dehavilland Vampires have to try and destroy as many of 10 Pakistani M48 Patton Tanks, before 2 Pakistani Canadair Sabres can take them down.

This being JADE we had to have actual tanks to bomb.

It took me ages to get all 10 of these tanks painted. At the 1/285 scale they are a little finicky, and I wanted them to look good.

These tanks are from GHQ miniatures. they are a little pricey given the scale, but the detail is worth it!

Written by: Andrew Gregory!

Air War Games by Donald Featherstone: A Review

If you are a tabletop gamer and haven't heard of Donald F. Featherstone, take a minuter now to look him up. Born in 1918, Donald is considered one of the Fathers of tabletop gaming, and is responsible for establishing many of the concepts and standardizations in table top gaming rules.

Over his career, he published around 10 different books about miniatures games. Many of these titles have withstood the test of time and been reprinted, like Skirmish War Games... Others such as Air War Games have not.

Donald F Featherstone (Right)

The biggest problem with Air War Games comes down to this: It was published in 1965. It's more than 50 years out of date at this point and many of the problems that Donald seems to be tackling just don't exist in miniatures air gaming.

For example, where he recommends you set up your game around the room, using furniture of different heights to simulate the differing altitude of planes, or elaborate set-ups (such as several glass sheets hanging above each other with hexes painted on them), the modern gamer has better options. These days most people simply use a dial to represent altitude, or like JADE a combination of dial and a telescoping rod with a magnetic top (From Corsec Engineering's Omni-Stand line). And in terms of gaming surfaces there are plenty of companies (like Hotz Mats) that make perfect back drops for any setting.

So while remaining a really interesting piece of gaming history, and certainly something I enjoy having on my shelf, don't expect to be using Air War Games to host your next board game night any time soon. That being said it worth a read to get a sense of just how obscure tabletop gaming was, and to hear about some of the ridiculous lengths players went to to get their table tops set up. Be thankful that we don't live in such barbaric times.

Written by: Andrew Gregory

Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat

So recently Dave and I decided to get back into painting model planes with Check Your 6! and Check Your 6! Jet Age. With Dave being a fan of World Wwar 2 planes, he and I decided we would start with Check Your 6! and get a few planes. Since we really wanted our minis to look good on the table this time around, we decided to get some practice with decals, and change our scale for a few models.

So we went to our local model shop (Wheels and Wings Hobbies in Toronto) and snagged a couple of 1/144th scale World War 2 Planes. Dave grabbed a Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat and painted it up in this battle worn style.

He did a great job with it and we both some experience with decals... And how to move them when we screw things up. We have also decided to make our first test battle in Check Your 6! using these 2 planes, and you will see them on the table top soon!

This model comes from Revell Models, and we found it at our local hobby shop in the 1/144th scale plane section.

Written by: Andrew Gregory

6 Monsters Everyone Should Hate in D&D

Written by: Andrew Gregory

We have all faced that one monster while scowling the depths of a Dungeons and Dragons game: The one that sends a shiver down your spine at the mere thought of encountering. Whether it has slain you in the past, humiliated you with its superior powers or is just plain crazy powerful, everyone has a D&D monster they hate.

These are the 6 monsters you should hate in D&D:

Rust Monsters

Swords, metal shields, armour, metallic magic items, family heirlooms; Rust Monsters eat them all. Sure there is a chance that your magic equipment will be spared... But its little comfort when all your basic metal supplies turns to rust.

Used by DM's to throw the party’s inventory into chaos, a rust monster is just about the last thing you want to meet at any level.

Mimics

All in all Mimics actually aren't that bad. Sure they are a bit to handle for a lower level party, but for a med level group it shouldn't be a problem... That is, if DM's didn't use them to trick you into a sense of false security or to make you paranoid that every piece furniture is in fact a monster in waiting.

The bane of any wounded party - hoping that the chest they just found is a full of healing potions, and not sharp teeth; Mimics can pick off wounded stragglers and those not cautious enough to look before they loot.

Wraiths

Life Drain, Level damage, Stat Damage, impervious to non-magical weapons (and only half damage if those magical weapon aren't silver in some editions). Wraiths are a nightmare to encounter for any character, and you will likely lose the fight unless you are prepared!

It is best to avoid these incredibly dangerous creatures unless you are armed with a regiment of priests, or have a death wish.

Basilisks

We have all been unlucky, but being unlucky in an encounter with a basilisk can mean being turned to stone. Sure there are number of ways to cure this affliction, but for many players this means the end of the line for their character as it would take the whole party to carry the dense stone statue that was once a player character to safety.

I myself have fallen to this prey to this, and was only saved by the virtue of having a high level priest in my party. So be prepared.

Gelatinous Cubes

These damn things are just annoying. They block the hallways, silently and almost invisibly oozing towards you: all with the intent of engulfing and digesting you. And honestly there is little more humiliating then being bested by Jello.

I hate these things and always attack them with extreme prejudice when encountered.

Dragons

Dragons are a very powerful monster. They are huge, they are tough, they are strong, they are intelligent, they have magic, and on top of all that they can fly... Oh! Did I mention the breath weapon?

Despite being a titular monster of D&D, Dragons are one of the more powerful creatures in the game and should not be approached without care. One dragon is more than enough to give you a total party wipe out that you will be talking about for years to come.

What monster do you hate from the pages of the Monster Manual? Let us know in the comments!