How to make game cards to mark your Forests, Jungles and Woods area terrain.

I picked up an awesome idea from Tall Mike (RIP) one of the hosts of the Imperial Vox Cast.  Mike is a reformed Magic player, and he had the ingenuity of making up some Magic cards displaying the Forests, Jungles, and Woods (FJW) random table results.  I don’t play Magic, but I do like the idea of quick reference cards that can be placed alongside a terrain piece to mark what it’s random FJW table result is. 

To being with I scoured Google images for some pictures to represent the FJW results.  Once I had the pictures I needed, I stored on my PC.  Next I used my Microsoft Word to make four rectangles on a page.  I made the rectangle size 3.62” x  2.62” which is the size of a plastic game card sleeve.  Each rectangle is an individual creation.  I found copy and pasting changes the rectangles dimensions and blurs the text inside the rectangles.  I made sure to align the out board sides of the cards to the margins.  In one box I typed up the FJW text.  In the opposite rectangle I pasted the picture I wanted to use.  I did this twice, and then I printed the sheet.  I reloaded the same sheet and reprinted the page.  I readjusted the images 1/8” to the right before I reprinted.  This helped with the card alignment.  This will give you double sided cards.  After I printed the cards out I realized they needed some durability, so I took the cards down to my local Staples and had them laminated.   Last, I cut the cards to size. 

 

 

Printed Sheets

 

 



Close up of my Carnivorous Jungle card

 

 

 

Finished cards, ready to place next to terrain. 

 

Sedition Wars: Battle for Alabaster

I decided to back Mike McVey’s Sedition Wars: Battle forAlabaster Kickstarter last year because I believe he is a talented miniature painter and sculptor.  My game finally arrived in the mail, and I’m in love with the detail of the miniatures and the amount of things I received.  I’m still waiting for the second half of my order, but Studio McVey accounted for the time between the box set and the extra bits still being sculpted and manufactured.  I can’t wait to read my rule book and try to get some games in, but right now time is tight.  Everything is on the back burner while I get this month’s IC Hobby Progress Challenge entries done and out of the way.  Here’s a quick pick of what I got in the mail.  The stuff in bags outside of the table came in its own small box.  The actual game box contents are not displayed. 

 

IC Hobby Progress Challenge '13

It's a new year and I'm up and running.  This year begins with me accepting the The Independent Characters 2013 Hobby Progress Challenge.  It's a contest held by Carl Tuttle and Geoff Hummel on their podcast website The Independent Characters.  The challenge is simple, create a 1850 competitive list, then build and paint your army to match.  You can also forgo starting an army from scratch, and instead do additions to your existing army.  Every month you have to finish a unit or character and submit before and after pictures of the miniatures you are entering.  For every entry you put in, you get a chance to win a prize.  For the full details visit the IC's on their site and read the contest rules there. 

My first entry will be my Vulcan He'stan, who has been sitting around primed and ready for months. 

 

 

 

 

My second entry is a unit of Sternguard with combi-meltas and heavy flamers.  This unit takes parts from several different sources.  The marines helmets are from Maxmini, while the sergeant's helmet is from Forgeworld.  The weapons are from Custom Minis.  I put everything together with Gorilla Super Glue and some green stuff. 

 

 





 

 



 

Here's an Sternguard update.  I finished adding Dhener Stone on the white area of five of my Sternguard.  I still have to finish the rest of them, and paint up Vulkan He'stan before the end of the month.  The pressure is on. 

 



 

 

The finished Sternguard squad.  I still need to find some cross decals so I can use them for the right shoulder pad markings. 

 

 

 

 









 





Banners

Recently I made a banner for a Blood Angels sergeant.  I was able to take the logo of my favorite 40K podcast Life After the Cover Save and turn it into a banner for a squad of space marines.  Here's how you can make banners of your own. 

 

What you'll need:

1. Digital image, the picture you want on the flag.
2. Microsoft Word or any word processing software that will allow you to place pictures inside the page.
3. Paper, you can use regular printing paper, but I recommend you buy a few sheets of the good stuff so the banners colors remain vivid. 
4. Elmer's glue, the Brits call it PVA glue. 
5. A plastic rod, or stick to turn into a banner pole.  You can use toothpicks, metal rod, polystyrene etc.
6. X-acto knife
7. Pencil
8. Old paint brush
9. Ruler
10. Matt Varnish
11. A Surface to cut on. 

To Begin with you need to have the pictures you want to use stored on your PC.  Create a folder where these images are easy to get to.  You can choose to edit the size of your picture now, or later when you are importing the pictures onto your document.  If you wish to do it now, click on your picture and edit it until the height of the picture is the right dimension consistent with the size of your banner pole.  I recommend 1" in height, the length will readjust automatically.  Save the picture, and make sure you are including the height of the picture in the picture title.  This will make it easier to find in your files. 

Open up a new page on Microsoft Word, click on the Insert Tab, then the Shapes Tab.  Select a rectangle shape, and make a rectangle on your page about 6"x 8".  The color you chose will become the background of your flag, or it's border depending on what your picture looks like.  An example would be if the background of your picture is black, and you create a black rectangle, the picture background and black rectangle will blend together and give you a smooth transition.  If the picture background is different, then your rectangle color you will be able to make a trim around your picture, giving the impression of a border around your picture. 

Import your picture onto the Microsoft Word Doc. Click on your picture and choose the Wrap Text option, then the In Front of Text option. This will bring your photo out to the front of the rectangle  you have created.  Click on your picture and use the Size and Position option, here's the your second chance to play around with the dimensions, remembering that your banner needs to fit your banner pole. You can now import the same picture again, or choose a new one. Keep in mind that the pictures you choose should be close in size, so both sides of your banner will be in proportion.  Aline the pictures side by side, and space them out so that you will be able to create a span of paper to wrap around the banner pole, between 1/4"-3/4" depending on the girth of  your banner pole.  Remember to place the pictures close to the center so there's plenty of room for you to cut material away during the next part of the project.  Save the page, and Print it. 

 

 Take the page and apply matt varnish to it.  I use Krylon matt varnish.  Wait for the varnish to dry.  Take the page and tape it down to your cutting surface.  Use your ruler and pencil to draw the lines of your banner around your pictures.  I created a 1/4" order around everything.  Draw the spacers between the pictures which will be the banner border and material which will attach your banner to its pole.  You can also choose to make pennants attached to the back of your flag by extending lines outward and bring them back to the border of your flag, forming triangles.  Once all your lines have been established, cut the banner out using an X-acto knife. 

Using a old paint brush, apply watered down glue to the inside of the flag. apply glue to both sides.  Take your banner and wrap it around your banner pole.  This is a messy process, bear with it.  Join both sides together and hold them there waiting for the glue to start bonding.  Make sure to press down around the flag material that's attaching directly to the pole, it should be a snug fit.  You need to begin making folds in your flag now as the glue is setting.  Just use your fingers to shape the folds out.  Once everything drys you will see some extra white material here and there.  You can choose to paint over this, or cut it out with your exacto knife.  Take a Sharpie marker, or a good brush and paint the edges of your banner to hide all the white paper underneath. Use the tip of the your brush, not the edge to paint in the white overlap. 

40K Battle

I played a game of 40K vs my buddy Alex.  I ran my orks, he ran his Chaos Space Marines army.  Long story short, I won.  In Alex's defense, it was his first time playing 6th Ed 40K.  He ran a balanced Nurgle host, with Slaanesh demons as allies.  Alex's down fall was that he rushed me, and didn't take into account how important it is to be the defender during a charge.  The pictures posted below are some of the highlights of that batte.