Stonehell B Team: On the way to the Asylum

 Session 301 was played on 9/21/25

Sonara, Wizard 3 (Rob)
Adorellen, Elf 2 (Me)
Glimmer, Kobold 3 (Lanse)
Kessaren, Cleric 3 (Cindy)
Loahn, Halfling 3 (Josh)
6 Kobold meatshields (iGor, Blar, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Departing Rocky the party makes for the stairs down to level 2A. On the way they’re attacked by waves of undead! What they’re doing out of the Quiet Halls is anyone’s guess, but the initial group of zombies is mostly turned, and the remainder hacked down in some vicious hand to hand combat. Blar, V, and VI drop, but only Blar and VI are able to be revived. 

Behind the 7 zombies were 10 skeletons, but 9 were immediately turned by Kessaren, and the upright kobolds tore the last one to bits. 

Before the stairs down, in the room with the broken statues, a group of Troglins is collecting tolls. The party tries to walk past, but the troglins aren’t having it. A quick combat later and the troglins are laying dead, but healing on the floor. The party takes their weapons (and coins) before they finish healing and regain consciousness.

Down the stairs to the Asylum, they reach the room with the stick figures, all of which stop what they were doing to turn to look at the party… an impressive feat given that none of the figures have faces.   

Gains: 7 troglin weapons, 467sp
Kills: Zombies, Skeletons, Troglins
Losses: kobold meatshield V

Simple Foamcore Farm Houses

 Sometimes you just need some quick and decent looking terrain. 

 Scenario 4 of Stargrave Hope Eternal campaign is set on a world far out in the boonies of the galaxy, and as such is a little lacking in tech. The settlement is described in the book as being a combination of prefab structures, homes made from locally available materials, and one tower made from a recycled fuel pod. You need between 6-10 structures for the scenario. I own 2 small 3D printed prefab huts and so need at least 4 more structures, one of which needs to be a tower, so I need to make at least 3 houses. The game is played on a 3'x3' board, but the village needs to be at least 8" away from any board edge so none of these should be very big...

 Keeping the size manageable had me laying out a couple of different size bits of paper on the board, and placing some minis in and around them. 2"x3" was tiny, and 4"x6" was too big, but a 3"x5" note card felt just about perfect. Big enough for a full sized door and a couple of windows, but not so big that they'd dominate the table.  

 Not wanting to spend a lot of time or money on them, I grabbed a scrap of foam core that I'd been saving, and got to measuring. Prior experience reminded me that I couldn't just cut out 3" and 5" wall sections because then the footprint would be too big. I opted to trim the long edges by the thickness of the foam core so that the walls would fit neatly on the 3x5 piece that would serve as the base/floor of the huts. 

I kept the height of the walls at 2" knowing the roof would greatly increase the height of the finished builds. I measured out the doors and windows using a 1" square base, then cut them all out. I opted for one door for each building, and 3 windows. 

I turned on my glue gun to get it hot, then I pulled out some aluminum foil, rolled it into a ball, and rolled it all over the exterior sides of the walls and the floor. It really is a fantastic way to add texture to cheap foam core. Once done, it was time to get gluing. 

 

Not perfect. My measurements were not exact, but close enough. I do like how it's possible to shoot through a building. Then it was time to grab the cardboard recycling and dig out a cardstock box and start cutting thin strips. I was actually more careful with this part than I was cutting the foam.  I framed out the corners and all the windows and doors. 

 All told this was about 2 hours worth of work. I then brought it down to my painting desk and slapped on a heavy coat of mod podge mixed with black craft paint, and once dry, followed that up with a heavy drybrush of antique white.

 I was unsure at this point whether I wanted to paint the interior walls or tint the exterior... I decided to try tinting the exterior using just a tint bit of watered down speedpaint.

 And then onto the roof! My original plan was a standard sloped roof, but my cousin suggested an asymmetrical gable with offset ridge, so that it might look a little less average medieval fantasy 

Once I had the foamcore frame I used cardstock to make the roof, and then started cutting and gluing the shingles... This was a pain to do, and messy.  

I was finally reminded that you can do whole strips and it's a much easier process! Also less messy with the glue and looks neater. It was almost enough to make me redo the other 2... almost.  

Then it was time to put a hole in the roofs for the chimney pipes. These were made from the tubes inside dog poop bag rolls. I also added some trim to the gables under the roof line.  

 Then it was back to the mod podge, and onto painting! The gables were painted just like the walls with antique white and the zealot yellow speed paint, with the brown for the trim.

 The roof was done with a sponge leftover from a mini blister pack and a soft blue craft paint, with a gentle dry brush of antique white to give them some highlights. 

 

Overall, these are great. Not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but solid looking and usable for the games I want them for. I still want to make little HCAV units to fit over the chimney pipes, but that's going to be its own little project. For now, it's onto the fuel pod tower!

The kid decided the houses needed a little something extra, so they all got some stickers. 

 And credit where credit is due, a hefty dose of inspiration came from this video. 

Stonehell B Team: A Rocky Road

Session 300 was played on 9/14/25

Sonara, Wizard 3 (Rob)
Adorellen, Elf 2 (Me)
Glimmer, Kobold 3 (Lanse)
Kessaren, Cleric 3 (Cindy)
Loahn, Halfling 3 (Josh)
6 Kobold meatshields (iGor, Blar, 3, 4, 5, 6)

While Nolti finished his convalescence they packed up and headed to Stonehell, passing a merchant caravan on the way, but they don't have anything of interest to the party. They head right for Rocky. 

Loahn while chatting with Rocky, decides to drink an experimental alchemical mixture that Morgana had been working on. Things go a little sideways and colors are a little brighter, and there are translucent pink butterflies flapping around. Adorellen is pleased that someone else can finally see them too.

Q1. “How can we get rid of the fairy queen peacefully and permanently?”
A1. Witch of the Deep may help, Challenge the Queen’s consort, Close the Portal and kill them.

Q2. Where can we find the Consort?
A2. Bang a Gong

Q3. Where is the portal?
A3. Where the mushrooms grow

The party spends some time pouring over maps of the dungeon to find a gong and anywhere mushrooms might be growing

January ‘26 In Review

Let’s be clear. 

Fuck ICE.

Fuck Trump.

Fuck you if you support them. 

31 days in January, and approximately 31 of them felt like Mondays. The year end at work is always hectic and will continue to be so for the next 2 weeks. In spite of all this shit, I’m doing my best to keep myself sane and safe, and these ramblings and games and such are all an important part of that. 

In addition to my little hobbies and spending time with my family, I also completed 2 home improvement projects, insulating the front bay window and adding blow in cellulose insulation to the attic, all just in time for the bomb cyclone to descend upon the country. At least I got it all done before the cold arrived in force. 

Gaming
The work game saw the players complete their pilgrimage across the Painted Wastelands, and decided that they wanted to return to their home realm rather than stay in the lower … They returned to the Temple of the Whale God and used the portal to return home. Upon returning to the Keep on the Borderlands, they discovered that while only weeks had passed from their perspective, two and a half years had passed here!

The B team continued their explorations of the upper levels of Stonehell, focusing on the quadrant under the Korners where they discovered a tribe of Troglodites had taken over. It was an unpleasant and stinky discovery. 

And for the first time since October of 2023 I played another session of Stargrave Hope Eternal! The dice were overall kind and my crew can move on to scenario 4 after I level up and finish a few necessary terrain bits.  

Miniatures
Slow start to the year, but in the end it was productive. Even though I had a good selection of minis prepped, some started, it took a good chunk of the month before I found my mojo and could spend any time painting. 

Media 
Hacks
Farscape season 3
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Loot
I came across this match stick building kit at the thrift store for $5. 1050 match sticks, a cutting tool, and a big piece of 0.25” thick MDF! I have no idea what I’ll end up actually using the match sticks for, but it won’t be to build a plane. Somehow it’ll get used for some terrain… probably walkways and ladders. 


Goals for February
Finish prep for scenario 4 of Stargrave Hope Eternal
Finish October session reports

Stonehell B Team: Forensic Accounting

Session 299 was played on 9/7/25

Sonara, Wizard 3 (Rob)
Adorellen, Elf 2 (Me)
Glimmer, Kobold 3 (Lanse)
Kessaren, Cleric 3 (Cindy)
Loahn, Halfling 3 (Josh)
6 Kobold meatshields (iGor, Blar, 3, 4, 5, 6)

The kobold accountant Roi was thoroughly interrogated, both about the books, and where the money went from the Korners, but also about the fey masters. They learned a bit about the Fey Queen, and how the coinage was taken from the Korners and sent as tribute, how various fey merchants had taken over prime space in the market from ‘honest & hardworking’ kobolds, and how it was all because of a deal made by Nolti. 

All this told, without knowing Nolti has been brought back by Koltic after the removal of the fey parasite. Still bedridden, they bring Roi to see Nolti, and explain what happened. They’re thrilled to see each other, and Roi seems especially glad to have Nolti free of the fey control. But what of the future? They aren’t going to be welcomed back to the Korners, nor will they be very welcome with the splinter group in the Gatehouse Inn. The party’s kobolds were rather disinterested, as they were from Nick’s keep, and not involved in this clan’s issues.  

Stonehell B Team: Glimmer's Rash Act!

Session 298 was played on 8/31

Sonara, Wizard 3 (Rob)
Adorellen, Elf 2 (Me)
Glimmer, Kobold 3 (Lanse)
Kessaren, Cleric 3 (Cindy)
Loahn, Halfling 3 (Josh)
6 Kobold meatshields (iGor, Blar, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Returning to Stonehell, the B Team heads to Rocky. On the way they encounter 6 dwarves from the Hermitage and chat with them briefly. Moving on they get to Rocky and chat with him before getting to the questions. 
Q: How are you?
A: Good

Q: Where are the fey coming from?
A: When the Winter Court sits upon the throne, the mushroom ring will open

Q: Where is the mushroom ring?
A: In the hothouse where the dryad reigns. 

They thank Rocky, and head out to the Quiet Halls chopping skeletons and zombies as they go, and make their way down to Kobold Korners’ back door. The guards collect their weapons, and take them to meet with Attendant Sned, the new boss. They head through the Korners, and down to the old fighting pits and slave enclosure, both recently revived under Sned’s leadership. Within the slave enclosure they see 3 goblins, 2 kobolds (Nolti’s lackeys, Sned informs them), an elf and a human. Sned has his accountant Cogs bring out the books for the party to review on Borumar’s behalf. Glimmer, twitchy over the slave situation, backstabs Sned. The guards go for their weapons, but Morgana drops a Sleep spell, which takes out Roi, the guards, the nearby pixies, and the slaves! 

The party yells at Glimmer for his rash action, but decides to make the best of it. They stuff Sned’s body into a box, free the slaves, and wake Cogs to make a receipt saying the party bought the slaves. They then hog tie and gag him, and the sleeping guards. As non-chalantly as possible, they head back to the main entrance of the Korners to collect their weapons, taking the slaves with them, and then head quickly back to town. 

Gains: 
Kills: Attendant Sned, skeletons and zombies 
Losses: 

Stonehell: Death of the Giant King

 Session 297 was played on 08/17/25

Morgana, wizard 10 (Rob)
Borumar, Triton Thief 11 (Josh)
Blotto, Goblin Fighter 8 (Lanse)
Nick, Fighter 8 (Me)
Koltic, Cleric 9 (Cindy)
Aroon, Fighter 8 (NPC)
Jameth, Fighter 8 (NPC)
Lor’Koth, Dwarf 8 (NPC)

Approaching the first of the Giant’s guard posts, the party finds 4 hill giants at watch. They crudely laugh and mock the party, threaten them, but are then forced to allow the party through when Morgana shows off one of the heads of the Plated Mage’s mechanical enforcers. Vrog the hill giant, leader of the bunch announces he will take the party to the king (and whispers in a not so quiet voice to the other giants that he’ll take credit for the party’s success).

Passing 2 more check points, the party is brought to the main hall of the Triclops King… which at the moment stands empty. Vrog tells them he’ll go get the king. The party waits, watched over by some stone giants. Soon enough there’s a fanfare and the main doors of the hall are thrown open. A full procession, full of pomp and pageantry, makes its way into the hall. First come the trolls, 4 of them, in matching outfits wielding great polearms, followed by 2 noble giants, and then the Triclops king himself. Close behind him comes an ancient hag carrying her head in a basket, and a 6 headed troll in jester’s clothes and caps. 

Then the screaming began. 

Morgana unleashed a lightning bolt that shot straight down the procession, followed by Borumar whipping out his scroll of Fireball. The giants were all stunned by the unexpected turn, and Morgana unleashed a Finger of Death spell on the King as he charged the party, with Nick in front. The amigos wade in, hacking down the giants that were still standing from the initial onslaught and making sure the trolls stayed down. The hag tries to Hold Morgana, but she shrugs it off. Harder to shrug off was the hit she took from one of the giant nobles. Koltic used Cureall to make sure Morgana stayed in the fight. 

Blotto’s fishing polearm swung wildly about and caught the Triclops King right in the lip, and hurt and distracted as he was, he fell victim to the rod’s paralytic magic. Meanwhile Morgana Webbed the fool, and then summoned a fire elemental to take care of the trolls. Blotto ripped the Triclops’ larynx from his throat, and the remaining giantkin decided to run for it. 

In the sudden calm, the party takes a moment to catch their breath, and look around. The king’s throne looks mighty inviting, and they check it out, finding, weirdly, a personal item from each of them. And that’s when the Hag, who had fled with the others, launched a fireball at Morgana. She didn’t much like it when the fire elemental launched itself at her.  

Following that, the party made a sweep of the Triclop’s hold, collected his treasure and watched the remaining giants flee in terror at the sight of the party (and their pet fire elemental). 

Gains: The Triclops King and various other giantkin’s treasures
Kills: trolls, ogres, giants, triclops nobles and King. 
Losses: 

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Thus did the epic gaming weekend of 2025 come to an end... looking forward to our next one!