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Author Topic: Oldhammer In Moria: Tempt not the Valar, You Proud Hobbit!  (Read 130547 times)

Offline LordOdo

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  • Posts: 1136
    • StormToren (my wargame blog)
Re: Oldhammer In Moria: Return to Tharbad
« Reply #585 on: December 01, 2023, 09:42:21 AM »
Wow, the Tharbad battle was cool, but your Thanksgaming day was even more awesome! It is really great you have these kids over to introduce them not only to gaming but also to your magical world! It sounds like they (and you) have had a great day!
''Its so much easier to build something new than work up the courage to actually paint some.'' -Wyrmalla (2015)


Offline Mars Miniatures

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 343
Re: Oldhammer In Moria: Return to Tharbad
« Reply #586 on: December 01, 2023, 10:12:33 AM »
@LordOdo,
Thanks pal. Im lucky to have some great buddies to play my Moria games with. But yeah, I do feel that gaming with the landlords kids fills a spot in my heart that has been missing for a long time. As a hobby enthusiast and maybe more importantly as a human being, it feels good to uplift the next generation, even in some small way. I hope to see the kids maybe christmas or new years. But I know for sure that they do visit on Lunar New Year or as they call it. Tet. So it will be another "Tet Offensive" when I game with the kids again! :p

Offline Mars Miniatures

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 343
Oldhammer In Moria: A Kennel Of Kobolds
« Reply #587 on: December 08, 2023, 01:45:56 AM »
From full post here: https://mars-miniatures.blogspot.com/2023/12/kobold-army-kennel-of-kobolds.html

Here is a Kobold Army - A Kennel of Kobolds

Its a canine tsunami! No fire hydrant is safe from them. They will lift a leg and mark their territory. And the pissing will not stop there!

So Kobolds have a greek mythological origin? The Kobaloi. Cool.

I went for a blue color scheme.Why? Apparently the blue mineral Cobalt is named after Kobolds! I guess the Kobolds play tricks with miners and change gold and precious metals into Cobalt for shits and giggles. Dogs might be a man's best friend, but I dont think Dwarves and Kobolds are going to be friends.



The Moon Dog Tribe marches to the sound of barks and howls.  Awoooooo! Oh those raucous devil-dogs!



They are led by a Gnoll hero leader, some Kobold leaders, and supported by Kobold Clerics. Kobold Clerics pray to the Great Sky Dog. *points to Crom* Your god lives beneath him!

~~~

For more words and pics see: https://mars-miniatures.blogspot.com/2023/12/kobold-army-kennel-of-kobolds.html


Offline LordOdo

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    • StormToren (my wargame blog)
Re: Oldhammer In Moria: A Kennel Of Kobolds
« Reply #588 on: December 08, 2023, 12:51:16 PM »
Cobalt, Kobold; it all makes sense now!
I like the idea of canine themed army: I can see the army leaders being named after famous dogs (Pluto, Lassie, Toto, Snoopy)

Offline Mars Miniatures

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 343
Re: Oldhammer In Moria: A Kennel Of Kobolds
« Reply #589 on: December 09, 2023, 01:53:52 AM »
@LordOdo,
Funny you should mention Toto... I was thinking of their song and how it fits the kobolds and more importantly the place where gnolls live - the savannah!

The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless, longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do what's right
As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti
I seek to cure what's deep inside
Frightened of this thing that I've become

It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had



Offline Mars Miniatures

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 343
Oldhammer In Moria: Hello Kitty vs Cthulhu Mythos - Sweetheart Playtime
« Reply #590 on: December 24, 2023, 12:13:45 AM »
Taken from post here: https://mars-miniatures.blogspot.com/2023/12/hello-kitty-vs-cthulhu-mythos.html

Hello Kitty vs Cthulhu Mythos - Sweetheart Playtime

 Oh its going down tomorrow!

Not just another happy holiday, its time again for kids versus Cthulhu! Wherein I am going to once again be invaded by my favorite gaggle of tweens. Thats right, the landlords grandkids are coming for Yuletyde gaming night. And I thought Id take some pics now before the event. I prepared a special game for them, The last time I saw the girls on Thanksgiving, I questioned them about what toys they liked most of all. And the answer was Hello Kitty. So I bought some and yes these are more age appropriate minis for the girls to roleplay with. I hope they like these particular ones.

Hello Cthulhu! Sweetheart playtime!

Enjoy the madness...



Wizard Kitty: Ok team, we have to eliminate the Mythos threat in this dungeon to protect the town and get our Quest completed. Somewhere up ahead are nasty slimy tentacle-y monstrosities for us to banish!

Ice Cream Kitty: I will lead the way with the magic of my +1 Vorpal Ice Cream Cone!

Apple Kitty: Oh noes! The Gate is closing behind us all on its own! No one is touching it. It must be automated.

Worried Kitty: Or haunted!

Screeeeeee...... Ka-Chunk! And indeed, the Gate closes behind them.

Our four heroines have entered the dungeon and there is no turning back now!

Wizard Kitty: The way is forwards. Lets split into two teams. That's always a good idea, right?



These two kitties come face to face with Nyarlathotep!

Ice Cream Kitty: Have at thee fiend!

Wizard Kitty: Ok I cast Fireball at the darkness!



And the other two kitties encounter Shoggoth!

Apple Kitty: This apple is worthless! I wish I had chosen better equipment in the town.

Worried Kitty:  I dont even have an item! I knew it. Never split the party!

~~~

So lets see what will happen tomorrow. Will the girls do better than this trial run? Im thinking the girls will try diplomacy with the monsters. Its their way of doing things. To them, monsters are pets in the process of being tamed. :)

Cheers and Happy Holidays to all,
Mar



Offline LordOdo

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  • Posts: 1136
    • StormToren (my wargame blog)
Re: Oldhammer In Moria: Hello Kitty vs Cthulhu Mythos - Sweetheart Playtime
« Reply #591 on: January 04, 2024, 11:45:57 AM »
It's so nice you have included several Kitties to your world just because you know the girls love them! Curious to see how they will fare against the Cthulhu Mythos...

Offline Pattus Magnus

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 2107
Re: Oldhammer In Moria: Hello Kitty vs Cthulhu Mythos - Sweetheart Playtime
« Reply #592 on: January 04, 2024, 04:39:33 PM »
I think Hello Kitty may actually be one of the elder gods - it pops up everywhere and exerts a malign influence through pop culture… it has even gained a toe-hold in tabletop wargaming!

Offline Arjuna

  • Assistant
  • Posts: 23
  • They wish to be destroyed, and you destroy them.
Re: Oldhammer In Moria: Hello Kitty vs Cthulhu Mythos - Sweetheart Playtime
« Reply #593 on: January 05, 2024, 06:06:53 PM »
Sorry, couldn't resist.
At least the kitty isn't that creepy this time.
;)

« Last Edit: January 05, 2024, 06:08:39 PM by Arjuna »

Offline Mars Miniatures

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 343
Re: Oldhammer In Moria: Hello Kitty vs Cthulhu Mythos - Sweetheart Playtime
« Reply #594 on: January 08, 2024, 11:42:27 PM »
@LordOdo,
The kids didnt face any Cthulhus. They saved a dwarf carrying books and scrolls (I forgot his name) from a pack of monkeys. Then helped him to save a princess from a wyvern. They tried to hide in some ruins, but the wyvern spotted them by flying around. But yeah, no Cthulhus showed up.

@Pattus Magnus,
Whats more interesting to me, is that young girls know about Cthulhu and Demogorgon. Thanks to Stranger Things. But who would have thought Demogorgon would enter pop culture. I was surprised when the girls saw a figure on my shelves and correctly identified him as a Demogorgon.

@Arjuna,
This one is more friendly than the ones you posted on my TMP post. Nevermind kids, one or two of those pics gave me the chills!  :o But this one is colorful and cute!

Offline Mars Miniatures

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 343
Oldhammer In Moria: A New Year, A New Front
« Reply #595 on: January 31, 2024, 01:11:06 PM »
Taken from full post here: https://mars-miniatures.blogspot.com/2024/01/a-new-year-new-front.html

A New Year, A New Front

Lancelot: Brave, brave Concorde, you shall not have died in vain!

Concorde: Uh, Im not quite dead, sir.

Lancelot: Well, you shall not have been mortally wounded in vain!

Concorde: I... I think I could... I could pull through, sir.

Lancelot:  Oh I see.

Concorde: Actually, I think Im all right to come with you.

Lancelot: No, stay here! I will send help as soon as I have accomplished a daring and heroic rescue in my own particular...

Concorde: Idiom, sir?

Lancelot: Idiom! Farewell sweet Concorde!

Concorde: I'll, umm... I'll just stay here then. Shall I, sir? Yeah.

 ~~~

Hiya buddies, State of the Union blog address...

Ever since I survived a 2nd aortic dissection in 2022, I became (as the kids say) "based". Dont need, or care what others may think of me or my way of life. Only my own thoughts are important to me now. And so Im living according to the promptings that are dictated to me by my true inner self. And unlike Goethe's lament, I find that living according to those statutes are NOT difficult at all. Simply put... life is far too short for anything other. Do what you feel is good for you and stop living for others.

Does that mean Im narcissistic or amoral or selfish. Well maybe... but, I still live by the "do no wrong" credo and so I neither hurt nor harm anyone and I think Im a positive force and all around good buddy to any and all that cross my path in life. Of course, my life is also only populated by good folks and I am thankful for that. The landlord's grandkids, my gaming pals from Maryland, my doctors and specialists, and the occasional Uber/Lyft driver when I have to go to see said doctors. And I do get to know my drivers and conversate with them and since they are usually ethinically diverse, its good that my forte's are world history and world music. And while I do have interesting talks with them about their perspectives on the world, most talks usually end about their food! I am known for loving World music but Im also a big fan of international ethnic cuisines too. So if I am narcissus, Im a nice one that loves speaking to a diverse cast of peoples.

Note about Narcissus (from the actual mythology), I think he is given a bad rap but I'll save that shpiel for another day (I adore the Narcissus and Echo story/stories).

But anyway, back to me recovering from a 2nd life or death medical moment...

I was like a marine recruit, like Joker in Full Metal Jacket (hopefully not like Pyle), I was born again hard. Or like King in Platoon... if you make it out of here, out of the bush... then everyday for the rest of your life, its all gravy. And everyday is indeed gravy or strawberry milkshakes. (shake pic here.)



Crisis averted!
 

Here is my pic taken by my pal Joe P. just moments after he had picked me up from the hospital where I had been for two months? And this pic is the perfect summation of my life. Good food with a good pal. Some good conversation and perhaps a good game afterwards. What else is there? What is best in life, Conan? Besides crushing your enemies, seeing them driven before you and hearing the lamentations of their women? A good refreshing beverage dessert! But I do wish for a fast horse, falcon at my wrist, and wind in my hair.

So, what the point of all this? Oh yeah, its been 2 years since that fateful milkshake, and Im still living the best life I can live. I got more gifts for the landlords grandkids for when they will visit on Lunar New Years in a week or two. I got gifts for my pals Steve and Joe for when they next visit me for our next game. I even got a gift for the landlords wife! Oh and for my primary doctor, who not only keeps me alive, but also shares her knowledge of best Korean BBQs in town. I like having the ability to give gifts and now I understand the zen proverb that it is the giver that should be thankful. I have nothing but gravy in my life. How many people get a 2nd or 3rd chance at life?

So here's hoping for yet another productive year for this gaming blog. And while I do try to keep this only about gaming, I cant help if my personal thoughts and life creeps in every now and again. Forgive an old man. Im getting sentimental in my old age.

Anyway, onwards to a small yet entirely appropriate update to the Moria blog...

~~~

The Once and Future King has returned at last from his long vacay in Avalon. And it seems that Camelot is the old name for Rohan?! And where is Merlin? Oh, he has been on this blog before.. in the Shire campaign of years past. Remember, he lives backward in time. But does that mean he wont show up again?



The thunderous sound of hooves is heard once again in Rohan! Is that Carmina Burana playing in the background? (Oh wait, its Wagner's Parsifal prelude, Carmina is later in the film).

(Black screen)

The land was divided,

without a King.

Out of those lost centuries, rose a legend...

Of the coming of the King...

And the sword of Power.



Arthur: Where are you Merlin? Show yourself! Call your dragon to weave a mist to hide us from our enemies!

So, the tide of Mythos streaming into Middle Earth has a new opponent!

Arthur vs Nyarlathotep. Excalibur vs Necronomicon.

Its the Pendragon vs King in Yellow showdown we didnt know we were waiting for!

Ring of Power vs Sword of Power. Last magic item standing!

~~~

Oh and bonus footage!

Another reason for this post. Moria will not be the only subject of this blog.

War is coming.

A war that is both GRIM and DARK. And it is in the FUTURE...

A war of loyalists and traitors. The enemy has come. And it is us!







Cheers,
Mar

Offline Mars Miniatures

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 343
Oldhammer In Moria: Tempt not the Valar, You Proud Hobbit!
« Reply #596 on: February 29, 2024, 03:20:31 AM »
Tempt not the Valar, You Proud Hobbit!

from here: https://mars-miniatures.blogspot.com/2024/02/tempt-not-valar-you-proud-hobbit.html

I feel thin, sort of stretched. Like too much butter spread over too much bread... Im old young Hobbits!

 

Small post today. And how ironic that the last post was how I survived 2 Aortic Dissections!

I just got home from the hospital a few hours ago and can add Triple Bypass Buddy and Dialisis Dude to the list! The hits keep coming, but like a determined Balin and company, I cannot be stopped from reclaiming my homeland. To Moria Forever! Lest we forget. All of this on the word of a King, and the word is good.

While I was in the hospital I made a few notes on my phone to remember my time there.

Here they are:

~~~

(while walking with a walker and a nurse and upon hearing the squeaky walker wheel)

Mar: That is the sound of my soul.

(Nurse laughs uncontrollably)

~~~

(another day, another morning, I awake to Turner Classic Movie channel on mute)

Nurse: How are you feeling today?

Mar: Bypass makes me vulnerable. Another thing to protect (pointing to heart), Its like another set of testicles on my chest.

~~~

(Mar plays pretend in his head. Because what else is there to do in the hospital?)

Mar: Going out in the world is dangerous. Here, take this small Heart Pillow! (hugs a little pillow that is given to bypass patients)

(Nurse looks puzzled)

~~~

Wow, this blog is taking root in reality! Am I a player in my own blog now? Where is the beer and roast meats, Gimli? And hand me my axe and torch and lets see what lies in the next chamber buddies!

Maybe Ive always been here? Ive always been the caretaker! (cue song Midnight and the Stars Have You)

And yes, I was a hit with the hospital staff. (the nurses loved me) I will repay their kindnesses. Or I will die trying! I swear it!

Anyway, Back to the post!



 So I came home to find a package of brown wool felt! They are Safari Brown from Prairie Woolens. I immediately cut a small shape out of them... and voila! A forest base for my widdle trees to live. And the ruined city world is taking shape. Nature is taking back what was abandoned. Is this Moria in the future? It could be.

~~~

Im going to rest for a bit and try to finish more of our buddy Joe Ps commission. But Im happy about a piece of felt. Its the small things in life.

Cheers,

Mar

`

Offline syrinx0

  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • *
  • Posts: 3163
Re: Oldhammer In Moria: Tempt not the Valar, You Proud Hobbit!
« Reply #597 on: February 29, 2024, 05:46:38 AM »
Congrats on making it back home. Hopefully for the long term!
2024: B: 2220; P: 148; 2023: B:77; P:37;

Offline Tactalvanic

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1571
Re: Oldhammer In Moria: Tempt not the Valar, You Proud Hobbit!
« Reply #598 on: February 29, 2024, 09:33:07 AM »
Welcome back, look forward to the future war in Moria.

Here's to you, new friends and acquaintances and especially those that keep you around for longer to share your time, thought's and battle reports (even a little) with us.



Offline Mars Miniatures

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 343
Re: Oldhammer In Moria: Tempt not the Valar, You Proud Hobbit!
« Reply #599 on: February 29, 2024, 06:32:54 PM »
@syrinx0 and @Tactalvanic,
Thanks buddies! There is a possible battle coming on Sunday with some of my pals from Maryland. Stay tuned!



 

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