Infinity: female Wildcat WIP

Here I'm proceeding rather slowly on the paint side, since living alone adds a new meaning to "doing the chores".

And I'm having troubles uploading photos (dang the SD reader!).

This is my painting station... which doubles as PC station to call home, as general purpose laboratory to repair and make stuff, as sewing place...

Finally! She's the last  Wildcat, right now I'm working on a Intruder and one Sputnik. Still have to finish her.

D&D: Gaming on Skype

Yesterday I got my first D&D game on Skype.
I had a blast, even if the conditions were far from optimized.
This spurred a reflection on what is needed for an enjoyable gaming session on Skype.

Obviously, you need PCs and a good connection ON BOTH SIDES. If the connection is crappy, then you won't be able to enjoy the game due to constant delays and poor image resolution.

It's also good if you can arrange a test beforehand. Don't forget to set up and connect the accounts before actually meeting for the game.

If you're hosting the game, the best place to put the computer is in front of the Dungeon Master's screen. This way the Skype user can see the rest of the party: often communication is made also by facial expressions and gestures.
Loudspeakers are a good addition, since sometimes the caller voice is rather feeble.

You should also consider ambient noise: keep it down to a bare minimum. Also chit-chatting on non-gaming topic makes understanding gaming-related talk difficult.

On the guest side, a headset with microphone is needed to keep resonating noise down. You also should be aware of where you are calling from. A silent place is to be preferred to a noisy one.

Having paper reference sheet and books helps in getting all readily available when needed. Also real dices and a dice tray are better than dice-throwing apps, since the results are readily shown on Skype.

Snacks and beverages are to be kept at arm's length, along with glasses. Remember to shut off your mic when eating, otherwise the chrunching sound can annoy people at the host place.

Those are my 2 cents for now; I hope to have more tips for you soon. Enjoy your gaming!

Infinity: Wildcats Wip

And so I'm now in Finland... I managed to bring with me some miniatures and a very small selection of paints and brushes, so I'll have something to do in the evening.

From now on, at least for a while, I'll post only in English, as it somehow feels more appropriate to the situation.

Right now I'm living in Paivenpaiste with another erasmus student, a Lithuanian guy.

Bot now, back on the miniatures! I'm following the original scheme, as it suits those models very well. The two guys in the foreground are almost identical. I say almost because I had to mix paints to achieve the same colors as in my previous model.

Another unexpected issue is the temperature and humidity of the building I'm living in.

Even with heaters off and the small window half-opened, here the air is so dry and hot that paint dry almost instantly. So different from my painting station, with 80% humidity and 18°C... It will take a while to get used to it. Here I don't have an hygrometer nor a thermometer, so I cannot really compare the two situations on scientific grounds.

Anyway, see you to the next post! Moi moi!

Miniatures: GW Lotr Haradrim and Wargames Factory Ork

Those are some miniatures I painted some months ago: a captain for my Haradirims and an orc.

Right now I'm rather busy, since I'm on a full RPG-rampage: On Tuesday I play D&D 3.5, on Wednesday GURPS cyberpunk and on Thursday Brass Age (a steampunk investigative rpg).

I'm also playing a lot at Dystopian Wars 2.0. I bought a new Australian fleet and found an opponent which plays FSA. See you in the next post!

Contest: Terzo Trofeo I Minimondi di Capochino (and some news)

This year there will be a contest held by "I Minimondi di Capochino", an Italian site. 
Sadly, this year I will not be able to participate: I'll go to Finland at the beginning of January, and I'll stay there untill the end of May.
Yup, I'm gonna go Erasmus in Turku this winter!
That's why I've been less present online for the last year: I had to apply and to study hard in order to be selected for the exchange program, and that really eaten up my free time.

Anche quest'anno i Minimondi di Capochino organizza un contest di modellismo.
Purtroppo questa volta non riuscirò a partecipare, poichè a gennaio andrò in erasmus a Turku, in Finlandia.
Quest'anno sono stato poco presente online a causa dell'enorme carico di lavoro associato alla selezione e preparazione per lo scambio, che ha eroso rapidamente il mio tempo libero.

Miniature: GW and Reaper Wizard

D&D, Faerun campaign.
My warrior was killed during the last session, so I knocked up a new character: a mercenary sorcerer which poses as a wizard to earn more money for his work.
I needed a new miniature, so I painted a GW wizard, swapping the head of his staff with a blade from the skaven war wheel.

D&D, campagna ambientata nel Faerun.
Il mio PG, un guerriero, è morto durante l'ultima sessione, quindi ho iniziato un nuovo personaggio: uno stregone mercenario che si finge un mago per guadagnare di più.
Avevo bisogno di una nuova miniatura, quindi ho dipinto un mago dell'impero di warhammer fantasy. Non mi piaceva per niente la testa del bastone, così l'ho sostituita con una lama della ruota da guerra skaven.

I'm using the old reaper mini on the right as the voyage version, while the one on the left is the social outfit.

Miniatures: Lotr Dùnedain

Another miniature that sat unpainted for too long: a GW LoTR Dunedain, side-to-side with an older miniature.

Ho terminato anche questo Dunedain della GW, un'altra miniatura che è rimasta per anni semidipinta. Quello di destra è un vecchio Dunedain, giusto per comparazione.

Left, new. Right, old.