Once More, From The Top
This project exists because of two people. Let me tell you about them really quickly.
I have a friend who writes, designs, and sells wargames for a living. He's awesome. His games are awesome. He is one of the coolest adults it has been my privilege to meet here on this little blue and green marble. He is the man, the myth, the legend...Ed Texiera of Two Hour Wargames. You can learn more about Ed's handiwork here: http://twohourwargames.com/
Ed's motto is "just play the game". He doesn't have official miniatures, official terrain, stuff you have to have to play one of his games (outside of the rules). The play's the thing.
I first met Ed ages and ages ago, out here in the Great Green Northwest, back when he was putting the finishing touches on something called Warrior Kings. I got to play in one of his demos at a small local convention and was hooked on the concept. Warrior Kings begat Warrior Heroes, and then he did something else called Six Gun Sound, which was a Wild West gunfight game...and many iterations today we have the 5150 series, All Things Zombie, NUTS!, and Larger Than Life.
The other is a woman I never had a chance to meet in person: Stephanie "bishrook" Bishop. We were writing partners on a gaming forum for several years. She was friend, confidante, surrogate older sister, writing partner, coach, and all around interesting person. She put up with some of my bad habits as a writing partner with patience and good humor, and was a never-ending fount of creative energy on our many projects.
Some months ago, she sent me an email--she was in the hospital, awaiting surgery after a bad fall, and expressed hope that her downtime would not take much time. At her behest, I left a message to that effect on the forum, and she popped back into thank her well-wishers for their input before silence fell.
Two months later one of the forum admins announced that they found her obituary.
Ever since then, I've had a bee in my bonnet about doing something in her honor and memory, and then the proverbial light bulb flickered on: Steph loved a good bit of swashbuckling, and Ed has this great piratey skirmish game...and the idea of a Frisian tomboy running amok in Colonial Lemuria, swashing buckles and kicking arse in the best traditional style of Errol Flynn wannabes just sort of came together.
I got Ed's permission to include shots of the campaign map with the after-action reports, and dug up my collection of WizKids plasticard pirate ships. At least for now, I'm afraid you'll have to put up with Star Wars minis instead of proper pirates (an order with Rebel Miniatures is in my future, but it'll take time) because I paint at a glacially slow rate. But as Ed says, "just play the game".
This will be slow going. I have a lot of irons in the fire. But it will happen, one month at a time. I've even enlisted my daughter to help: she likes pirates as much as she likes cowboys! (Which is another post for another time...)
This will be fun! Now gird your loins, me hearties, and hold yer cutlass tight, for the thunder of the guns grows nearer, and that thrice-cursed lorcha isn't going to capture itself!
+ + +
Oh, yeah. One other thing. I already have a blog, right? This one's strictly for the games, so that people who don't want to suffer my soapbox moments won't have to dodge them to read this stuff. 'Nuff said.
I have a friend who writes, designs, and sells wargames for a living. He's awesome. His games are awesome. He is one of the coolest adults it has been my privilege to meet here on this little blue and green marble. He is the man, the myth, the legend...Ed Texiera of Two Hour Wargames. You can learn more about Ed's handiwork here: http://twohourwargames.com/
Ed's motto is "just play the game". He doesn't have official miniatures, official terrain, stuff you have to have to play one of his games (outside of the rules). The play's the thing.
I first met Ed ages and ages ago, out here in the Great Green Northwest, back when he was putting the finishing touches on something called Warrior Kings. I got to play in one of his demos at a small local convention and was hooked on the concept. Warrior Kings begat Warrior Heroes, and then he did something else called Six Gun Sound, which was a Wild West gunfight game...and many iterations today we have the 5150 series, All Things Zombie, NUTS!, and Larger Than Life.
The other is a woman I never had a chance to meet in person: Stephanie "bishrook" Bishop. We were writing partners on a gaming forum for several years. She was friend, confidante, surrogate older sister, writing partner, coach, and all around interesting person. She put up with some of my bad habits as a writing partner with patience and good humor, and was a never-ending fount of creative energy on our many projects.
Some months ago, she sent me an email--she was in the hospital, awaiting surgery after a bad fall, and expressed hope that her downtime would not take much time. At her behest, I left a message to that effect on the forum, and she popped back into thank her well-wishers for their input before silence fell.
Two months later one of the forum admins announced that they found her obituary.
Ever since then, I've had a bee in my bonnet about doing something in her honor and memory, and then the proverbial light bulb flickered on: Steph loved a good bit of swashbuckling, and Ed has this great piratey skirmish game...and the idea of a Frisian tomboy running amok in Colonial Lemuria, swashing buckles and kicking arse in the best traditional style of Errol Flynn wannabes just sort of came together.
I got Ed's permission to include shots of the campaign map with the after-action reports, and dug up my collection of WizKids plasticard pirate ships. At least for now, I'm afraid you'll have to put up with Star Wars minis instead of proper pirates (an order with Rebel Miniatures is in my future, but it'll take time) because I paint at a glacially slow rate. But as Ed says, "just play the game".
This will be slow going. I have a lot of irons in the fire. But it will happen, one month at a time. I've even enlisted my daughter to help: she likes pirates as much as she likes cowboys! (Which is another post for another time...)
This will be fun! Now gird your loins, me hearties, and hold yer cutlass tight, for the thunder of the guns grows nearer, and that thrice-cursed lorcha isn't going to capture itself!
+ + +
Oh, yeah. One other thing. I already have a blog, right? This one's strictly for the games, so that people who don't want to suffer my soapbox moments won't have to dodge them to read this stuff. 'Nuff said.
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