Loud Ninja Games Blog

I thought I would post a quick reminder here regarding the blog dedicated to my miniatures company, Loud Ninja Games. This is a place where I will share ideas, updates, news and other interesting materials related to my endeavors to bring new and exciting miniatures to the gaming universe.

So if you are interested in reading about this head HERE.

I have also added a blog roll for the LNG blog to this blog so those visiting this site can see if there are updates there.

Thank you all,

-Eli

Bloggers For Charity

New Bloggers for Charity is in the works. Check it out here to check out the outline for the upcoming year.

Great Blog For Easy Terrain Ideas - Terrain for Hippos

I discovered this blog on a random search for 15mm science fiction terrain and found it to be an amazing resource for some simple terrain products that are very nicely laid out and hosted by a most personable cartoon hippo.



Check it out and give it a look!

-Eli

What's Going on in Alcovia

Because there is still interest in my imagi-nation of Alcovia, I have added a special blog roll in the side bar titled "What's Going on in Alcovia". This will link you directly to the most recent posts from the various special project blogs that cover the various time periods of Alcovia's history.

So, if you love Alcovia, or you're just now hearing about it, you'll be able to find your way there easily enough.

I really wish there was a way to integrate the blog feeds from those side blogs into ISLP's main posts feed, but I have not been able to find a way, if it does exist.

-Eli

Victoria's Boys In Red Turns 50, Followers That Is!

Just a shout out to mention that my buddy J's blog (I'm supposed to post there too) "Victoria's Boys in Red" just got it's 50th follower. Now 50 followers may not seem like a lot, but it is not to shabby for a blog dedicated to a very small audience hobby like Victorian Science Fiction.

If you've never checked it out and you want to see one man's vision of a future that never was and some top notch salute to the more civilized sort of science fiction that is VSF, then give VBIR a look-see and enjoy. J puts a lot of love into the projects he posts there and has some great ideas for VSF players new and old.

Thanks for reading!

-Eli

My Sculpts Painted! (Not By Me)

One of the coolest things about sculpting is getting to see your work in production. What's even cooler though is seeing that other people are using and enjoying your creations. The picture above features the painting work of a talented gent who goes by Blackstone over at the Starport Crash blog. Of the seven aliens, three were sculpted by me - Fragalian (1), Horansi (4) and Vergan (5). He did an amazing job on what I consider my very humble sculpts and manages to make them look right at home alongside other more skillfully rendered miniatures.

Not only is it a treat to see these figures painted, but I also love seeing how he interpreted the aliens. When I sculpted each of them, I had a vision in my mind, at least to some extent, of how they would look. Blackstone managed to surprise me on the Horansi. This particular alien was given a very odd, hodge-podge of features - triple tentacles for feet, long fingered arms, a fussy or porous neck, and a cobra-like hood. Facial features were a bit vague with only eyes for any obvious facial features. I did this on purpose to make the alien seem even more so.

Where Blackstone surprised me on the Horansi was in painting the pointy front of the hood as a beak, something i hadn't conceived of. Having seen it this way, I cannot imagine it any other way. That and his brightly colored skin and chest ruff have put a new spin on this alien for me. I'll likely end up using the beak idea when I paint mine.

Below is a picture showing how the painter for 15mm.co.uk, the manufacturer of my sculpts, interpreted the aliens.

Amazing Tomes!



So my buddy Chuck had taken the dive into craft commerce. In addition to being a great friend, fellow gamer, and all around good guy, he's also a talented book binder and makes custom, leather bound, journal-sized books. He's recently started up a blog, called Portobello Road,  to chronicle his efforts to make a business out of his craft.

I cannot say enough just how lovely his books are. All the work is done by hand, including the graphics on the covers. The papers are imported from abroad where they are also made by hand. Check him out and drop him a line if you are interested in seeing more or perhaps contracting a tome of your own. Perhaps you need a snazzy campaign journal or a spell book for your LARP. Maybe you need a prop for your latest campaign? I'm sure Chuck can make it happen.

Take care,

-Eli

AmericasFightingDinosaur: The Jaws of Defeat.....

Not mine, but just had to share it!



AmericasFightingDinosaur: The Jaws of Defeat.....: "prologue: If I was a superhero, my arch nemesis would be known as Zeitgeist . Zeitgeist, that thing that leads so many of us to the so many..."

Cool Spaceport Terrain Projects

One of my bigtime dreams is to be able to create a spaceport for my sci-fi miniatures gaming. I've been collecting styro packing and interesting bits for years in hopes that someday I'll be able to have enough materials and time to build a tabletop full of terrain. So far, I've barely scratched the surface on this with only a couple bits here and there and a few aborted attempts. But there are those who have dived on this sort of thing and produced some awesome stuff.

Today's post is not about my stuff, but a shout out to the awesome work being done by a couple of other bloggers.

First off is Nathan miller of Nathan "Ironworker" Miller's Miniature Games. Nathan has an absolutely awesome collection of 28mm starships for his equally awesome starport terrain. He's collected all sorts of food containers, toy bits and scratch built stuff into a grimy, gritty starport. His spaceships are a collection of toys and models with slight mods and clever paint jobs to make them fit in with his 28mm figures.

Another starport modeller is Chris from Chris' Miniature Woes. Chris has just started with his project, also in 28mm. He's found some cool forklifts for cheap and also has come up with a cool tow rig. Looking forward to seeing where this project goes.

This is some really inspiring stuff and seriously makes me want to sideline my other projects to work on something similar in 15mm. I won't of course - I'm already behind enough - but it's tempting. these guys are putting together some good stuff and not just their starport terrain. Check them out.

Have fun!

-Eli

Nominated Thrice

Trying not to take this too seriously, but I feel obligated to at least to at least show my appreciation. Meatball over at My Dice Hate Me!  nominated me in his list of blogs for the Sylish Blogger. Meatball runs a tight blog with lots of nice eye candy. Warhammer in both 40K and Fantasy flavors as well as Privateer Press games make appearances there.

Thanks Meatball!

-Eli

You Like Me...

So, it just so happens that I See Lead People has received not one, but two Stylish Blogger Nominations. I am sure there are blogs out there that will collect more, but for me this is most gratifying. I've always treated this blog as a place to share ideas and to interact with gamers and never expected it to become something popular by any means.

The Stylish Blogger Award given from one blogger to another one might say, is like a pat on the back for a good job. It's definitely a viral, zombie-like spread of good will so it's too good to pass up. I was awarded mine yesterday and have been thinking a little on who to nominate myself. There are four rules:

• Thank and link back to the person giving you the award
• Share seven things about yourself
• Select 10-15 blogs who you think deserve this award
• Contact these bloggers and let them know about the award

So, first of, let me thank the two bloggers that nominated me here. Gyro from Mik's Minis and Baron VonJ from The Baron's Blog. Both these guys run stellar blogs, so for them to recognize me is a big deal as far as I'm concerned.

The Baron runs a sweet blog filled with 18th century imagi-nation goodness as well as another cool blog called Beyond the Wall which chronicles his old school fantasy RPG campaign. Both blogs feature great art by the blogger himself with The Baron's Blog featuring miniatures as well.

Gyro's got himself a good ol' fashioned gamer's blog with Mik's Minis. Like I See Lead People, he may have started out with miniatures on the blog (they make for nifty pics) but he also covers books, RPGs, board games and all manner of geekitude. Gyro is also one of the leads on a cool real play podcast called Minions of the Monster Master where he and his regular gaming buddies allow us to peak into their regular gaming sessions.

So....seven things...ugh..

1. I so hate talking about myself, but here goes.
2. I hate time travel.
3. I love Doctor WHO.
4. I am addicted to soda for the fizz.
5. Napping is a hobby for me.
6. I talk too much
7. I am known for sound effects and funny voices.

Really, how to pick just a few blogs? I suppose I should go with those that I find myself checking out most frequently. These blogs are by no means the only blogs of quality out there, but they are the ones that i find myself returning to over and over.

Dropship Horizon - Run by my buddy Mark, this is one the the go-to blogs for anything and everything 15mm scifi and beyond. DH has a good spread of subject matter but it does focus mostly on 15mm science fiction miniatures from a variety of sources and subgenres.

Green Skeleton Gaming Guild - Another buddy's blog, this is a real gamer's blog with a combination of miniatures, RPGs and just plain geeky fun. Bill has a habit of digging up some of the coolest classic art from comics and science ifction literature.

Grognardia - Old School RPGs are given very serious and in-depth attention at this blog. Game theory, nostalgia, homebrew, product discussion, it's all here.

Iron Mitten - Amazingly painted miniatures, stylish cartooning and a wonderful senseo f attention to detail and style all culminate to make Iron Mitten a very top notch historical miniatures gaming blog. Not only can the guy paint, but he pulls from all manner of sources both historical and literary to come up with some striking miniatures.

Yours In a White Wine Sauce - A central blog for the VSF genre and the hobbies that go with it. A great news site for new products, pieces of media or just that cheeky bit of pluck, this is a great blog for steampunks everywhere.

Lonely Gamers - Another excellent site focused on historical miniatures. Lonely gamers brings to you brilliant images of masterfully painted miniatures.

Four-Color Figures - Scott brings you something new and painted nearly every couple of days on this blog. In addition to lovely miniatures, he also presents gaming ideas as well as pop culture tidbits such as old comic images. He's even started to release his own small line of miniatures.

Carmen's Fun Painty Time - A true artist's site. Carmen is an amazing painter, sculptor, and modeler. Whether it is hand crafting an Old West town or bringing his own vision of the Ghostbusters to life, his artistic presentation of the miniatures hobby shines.  

Victoria's Boys in Red - Another blog brought to you by a buddy of mine, VBIR is a great blog that shows off one man's brilliant vision of his VSF universe. Mr. Womack presents to you bits and pieces collected from all corners of the miniatures market recruited into his own world. But it's not just about miniatures at VBIR. There are great bits of background material detailing the troops, creatures, equipment and background of Mr. Womack's universe.

Atom Kid & Maximum Rock and Role Play - Chad gets two here because he's got a couple of good ones. Atom Kid is his generic pop culture blog and he posts some awesome stuff there. Maximum Rock and Role Play is his gaming blog and focuses on RPGs and miniatures of all sorts.

Damf's Modelling Page - Tony's an all around great painter, modeller and builder. Here you will find everything from his own vision of Flash Gordon's universe to brilliantly made terrain and painted figs for the Flintloque fantasy Napoleonics wargame.

Doc Merkury's Lab - The Doc presents within the pages of his blog excellent images of miniatures wargaming on brilliantly built terrain and dedicated boards. Here you will also find previews of upcoming products as well as action reports of Iron Ivan games.

Ferrous Lands - A blog by a man with a love for the miniatures hobbies as well as gnomes. Andrew is an author and a wonderful artist.

New Imagi-Nation Blog

Chad Thorson of Maximum Rock and Role Playing blog fame has started a lovely new blog, named For Queen and Country or Manifest Larceny, where he will be chronicling his adventures in imagi-nations and other VSF fun. It's brand spanking new but if he attacks like he has his other projects, we should be seeing some lovely bits about New Erin, The Roghriders on Mars, and other strangeness in no time at all.

Great stuff Chad!

-Eli

Monster-Blood Tattoo: Well, cheers, dear friends.

If you recall, I had mentioned the wonderful fantasy series known originally as the "Monster Blood Tattoo" and now the "Foundling" trilogy.

The author, who is also the artist, creator, cook, chief political officer, etc etc on this series (he really doe a lot) posted some pictures of his concepts for some of the vessels and uniforms of his work in a post on his blog Monster-Blood Tattoo: Well, cheers, dear friends.

I am sorry, I cannot help but think that his designs would make a killer miniatures game. Due to the scope of his battles and such, I'd love to see it in 16mm, but regardless I think his blend of 18th century chic and alchemical magic and fantasy would make one hell of a game to play. I even said so on a comment on his blog.

Check it out,

-Eli

The Dropship Lands In The 1970s

For anyone who's followed the this blog for a while, it's no mystery that I enjoy alternate histories, imagi-nations, and alternate timelines. I'm not a huge fan of time travel, but I do like the what-ifs of history. Well, it just so happens that Mark over at Dropship Horizon has started on a non-scifi project and has kicked off a new blog chronicling the adventures of he and his partner in crime The Master Chef.

The blog, titled "The Winter of '79" is centered around an alternate history that spawns from the unrest following the election of Margaret Thatcher in 1979. Of course in Mark's version, things got worse than they did in real history. I have it straight from the mouths of the gents involved that this will all be played out in both larger scale conflicts such as riots, suppressions, and police actions and on a smaller street level involving the "small ops" side of this conflict.

I'm excited and am now adding a new section to the side bar of my blog to feature fun alternate history blogs.

Take care and check out Mark's new blog!

\-Eli