Dancing Giant Inn - Recreation

Role-Playing Games

In role-playing games, players create characters to interact with the world of the game system. These characters provide continuity between individual gaming sessions and measure the players’ progress. A referee (or game master) creates the plot and determines the outcomes of the players’ actions.

Dungeons & Dragons, now entering its fourth edition, is the RPG that I always come back to. I have been playing D&D on and off since the early A.D. 1980s.
Where does history end and mythology begin? The Shadow of the Spiral Peak is a D&D 3.5 campaign for four to six players. Coming someday eventually … maybe.

	Chess is among the most ancient of war games, with a likely origin in India over 5,000 years ago.
	Hordes is a fantasy war game of primal combat between monstrous beasts.
	Warhammer 40,000 is a science-fiction war game set in the grim future of the 41st millennium A.D.
	Warmachine is a fantasy war game featuring a mixture of magical combat and steam-powered technology.

War Games

Deriving from the military simulations of centuries past, modern war games pit players against one another in tabletop skirmishes and battles. They now cover the gamut of genres, from historical and modern to fantasy and science fiction.

Miniature Painting

Miniature figures can greatly enhance game play, but they are usually sold unpainted and unassembled. Fortunately, this allows gamers to finish or customize models to their own tastes. Miniature painting can be its own form of art, but I strive merely to bring acceptable gaming pieces to the tabletop.

My Gallery
Works in Progress

	Armorcast is back with tabletop terrain and other resin gaming models.
	Brookhurst Hobbies is my favorite local gaming store. They carry a wide range of games, miniatures, models, accessories, and supplies.
	Chessex makes high-impact dice and other gaming products. A gamer can never have too many dice.
	Cool Mini or Not is an on-line gallery of miniature art. The site also includes articles and discussion forums.
	Doctor Faust’s Painting Clinic is a site for miniature painters by miniature painters. Anthony K. Erdelji is a true talent in this unconventional artistic medium.
	Games Workshop is the publisher of the wildly popular Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 tabletop war games.
	Goblins is an on-line comic strip about Dungeons & Dragons, told from the monsters’ point of view.
	Hasslefree Miniatures has a small but growing range of 28mm fantasy and science-fiction miniatures designed by Kevin White.
	Heresy Multi-Part Miniatures are designed by Andy Foster. While not all the Heresy models are winners, there are some very interesting and impressive figures.
	HeroForge is a D&D character-building utility for Microsoft Excel. The latest releases are currently hosted by NZ Computers Limited.
	The Hypertext d20 SRD is a linked, searchable version of the open-content d20 System Reference Document.
	Paizo Publishing is a publisher and retailer of books, games, and gaming accessories.
	Privateer Press is the publisher of Warmachine, Hordes, and the Iron Kingdoms campaign setting.
	Reaper Miniatures produces a wide range of 28mm–30mm fantasy miniatures and is probably the best source for character models at the moment.
	The War Store has become my favorite on-line gaming store. The selection is good, and the prices are low.
	Wizards of the Coast is the current publisher of Dungeons & Dragons and the d20 system. The site also hosts lively discussion forums for the full range of Wizards products.

Gaming & Painting Links

The Internet has allowed for an explosion of gaming content from publishers, retailers, and enthusiasts alike. Gamers now have more access to information and products than ever before.

“Games give you a chance to excel, and … you don’t
even mind if you lose because you had the enjoyment
of the company during the course of the game.”