Thursday, November 29, 2018

Bond Characters And Podcasts


I've been wanting to get this post out for almost four weeks now, but as usual, the farm is just crazy busy and hobby time is at the bare minimum. It's pretty frustrating that no one realizes how I need to get up to the studio on a regular basis to keep my sanity 😃

This batch of James Bond figures are all from Crooked Dice Studios and consist of characters from the movies Moonraker, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Goldeneye. All have the new clear bases.


Hugo Drax


Jaws


Anya Amasova


Alec Trevelyan


Xenna Onatopp

This is Diego, who finished sixth at Nationals about a month ago!

As busy as I have been with the horses and the farm, the one huge positive that does come from it is it allows me to listen to podcasts all day. There are a ton of really great podcasts out there that focus on the tabletop hobby, but I want to call out one that I think is just heads and shoulders above all of them.


The Cast Dice podcast is hosted by Brad "Old Man Morin". If you are, or were into Bolt Action at any point, and listened to BA podcasts I'm sure you will recognize Brad's name - probably from the LRDG podcast.

He's branched off on his own now with Cast Dice and this is hands down my favorite podcast to listen to. He has a wide range of guests and games that he talks about (and has even started to touch on pop culture stuff which is super exciting) so you're going to get a little bit of everything that's currently out, which is great for someone like me who can't stay focused on any one project and always gets sucked into the newest shiny game that gets released.

What really strikes me about Brad is that you can really tell by the way he talks that he has an absolutely incredible passion for gaming - and it's all aspects. Rules, figures, terrain, developers, current trends, etc.  And I love his interview style - it's extremely professional and he really tries to make it balanced between himself and his guest, and you will often hear him say "I've been talking too much, what are your thoughts". He interacts with his guests really well and you can tell he genuinely listens to them talk by the questions he asks. I know that I'll probably never meet him, but spending several hours a week listening to him, I feel like we're cut from the same cloth and could easily be friends - so a big thanks Brad!



I also wanted to put out a quick plug for two of  Brad's more recent podcasts. The first features Simon Quinton, from Brummie's Wargaming Blog fame. I'm sure most of you already know Simon, but he does some absolutely incredible work over on his blog that you should definitely check out.  He and Brad talk all about Crooked Dice's 7TV rules set in Cast Dice episode #42 and it's great stuff! The second one features Jayson over at the Doctor Merkury blog. Jayson is doing some brilliant tabletop stuff with classic G.I.Joe from the 80's (and I blame him for making me seek out those original comics I sold years ago again - thankfully I found them in collections at my local library and have placed a hold on the first one), and he and Brad talk quite a bit about that along with some other cool stuff in Cast Dice episode #35. Highly recommended.


And now on to part duex of the podcasts. As I mentioned above, Brad has started to touch on pop culture with his podcast, and last month Cast Dice talked about the classic James Bond film 'Never Say Never Again' - episode #40. Brad's guest for that show was Jarrod Alberich, known as the Yard Sale Artist, and it was an absolute blast to listen to Brad and Jarrod talk through the entire movie.


One sequence I always loved from that movie was the opening. And to me it really felt like it could easily be a great little tabletop game; one agent alone to infiltrate the compound (and it was an awesome location that could make for a brilliant model) and free the hostage. But as the guys discuss, the music in this movie is just horrendous. I mean it could easily  be used at a poison control center to help induce vomiting. Anyway, I stumbled on this fantastic re-cut of that opening sequence with classic Bond music and a whole new title sequence - so this ones for you Brad! Never Say Never Again Classic Bond


I love my spy-fi stuff as followers of the blog will know, so when I found out Jarrod has his own podcast called "MI:6 Rookie Agents" that talk about ALL the Bond movies I was super excited. The "MI:6 Rookie Agents" podcast falls under the "OHMSP" (the photo above - there are several other podcasts that I highly recommend that also fall under the OHMSP heading all talking about Bond as well) where he and his brother Jason take two of Jarrod's friend's who are not familiar with the Bond franchise, through the entire series one movie at a time. It's both really fun and interesting to get what is essentially a "newbies" perspective on the franchise, along with Jarrod and Jason's expertise - and let me tell you, Jason is a Bond encyclopedia! The production value of this podcast is top notch and a whole lot of fun to listen to, highly recommended for any Bond fan.

*I listen through Podcast Player on my phone, but you can also find both on Podbean and iTunes as well*


But my real hope is that Jarrod and Jason will do a podcast dedicated to Victory Games amazing James Bond role playing game - this is my collection. I have everything except one adventure and two of the supplements. I've heard them speak briefly about the game on their podcast and that it was one of their favorites when they were kids. This was one of those games I was absolutely obsessed with as a kid too - and it really was the game that got me building models and terrain specifically for the tabletop and specific encounters. So fingers crossed that they will do something in the future as I'd love to hear about their thoughts and experiences with the game.


What was really great about each individual adventure was the amazingly detailed maps that they came with. One of my very first large scale terrain pieces was Auric Enterprises from the Goldfinger adventure. I remember scaling up the map of the facility so it could work with my N Scale cars and figures I had from my model trains. I really wish I had a photo of the model! I do remember my step-father not being too pleased with me that I cut up an extra window screen to make my fencing for the facility though lol


They also came with these boss envelopes that said "For Your Eyes Only" that would hold props for the mission - like briefings, letters, maps, transmissions, etc. Anything that could be used as clues that the gamemaster could hand the players to help them complete their mission. Great stuff!


I know last time I mentioned I was continuing on with my Jonny Quest project, well, as usual I got sidetracked. This time with a new Zorro project. Here's a quick peak at the table. 


I think it was the mariachi band that made me lose focus on the Quest gang - who doesn't want a mariachi band on the tabletop??!! And with a dancer no less.


And a couple of amigos. I still need to go back and rebase all my Zorro figures from earlier this year to these new thin clear bases though.


Now for winter farm projects... how mad is it that we are actually building an extension onto the barn!? That means another 8 stalls added to the existing 6. I guess I need to think positive and realize job security.

Lastly, I managed to get a couple more followers of the blog (I am all of one away from fifty lol) - I'd like to thank Steve Hamner and Doctor Merkury (Jayson) for following along, very much appreciated guys!

Until next time,
Thanks for looking!

Ivor


36 comments:

  1. Interesting as ever. that looks like a very posh stall.

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    1. Cheers George! That's actually the wash stalls, the weather has just been awful with a rain and snow mix so all the pastures are a mess, and in turn so are the horses when they come in - this guy was caked in mud and I'd just finished with his clean up when I snapped the picture :)

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  2. I love the Bond & Zorro stuff Ivor, podcasts is something I never got into, well done to your horse & good to see the farm going well even if it does have unfortunate side effects like eating up hobby time ;)

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    1. Thanks a lot Frank! Can never have enough Bond or classic Zorro stuff. Podcasts are a great way to help pass the time - especially nice to have on in the background when you're hobby-ing too 🙂
      Everyone was ecstatic about Diego's finish - he had a pretty rough go of it medically over the last two years, so to see him overcome that to end up here was just brilliant!

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  3. Nice work on the Bond stuff, and hopefully you get more sanity-sparing hobby time soon. :)

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    1. Much appreciated PC! Fingers are definitely crossed for an increase in hobby time 🙂

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  4. Another interesting post Ivor. I keep meaning to have a listen to some podcasts but just never seen to get round to it. I must try and have a listen to the one you're pluging you sound so enthusiastic about it.
    Well done with Diago, is that flat racing or over jumps?

    Someone sent me a Sorority figure, one on foot and one on horseback, if I can remember I'll post a picture on my blog and if you would like him I'll send it over.
    If you're interested please remind me if I forget, I have a terrible memory and it seems to be getting worse.

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    1. Thanks John! As I mentioned in my reply to Frank, they are a great way to get inspired and to have on when hobby-ing :)

      Diego is actually one of our dressage horses - our jumpers will start showing again after the new year. It's quite a difficult discipline, but to be totally honest for me it's super boring (I can say that here because I know my wife will never read this lol). The best analogy I could give you would be horse dancing. But none the less the wife did a brilliant job and everyone was really proud to be a part of the accomplishment :)

      That definitely sounds interesting, I'd love to see a photo!

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    2. Ivor, sorry about that, I corrected Sorority twice it should have read Zoro.
      Which might make more sense.

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    3. Lol! I totally knew what you meant, the Z and the S are close together on the keyboard 🙂

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    4. Hi Ivor
      I've just posted the pic at the bottom on my latest post. If you're interested in them just let me know and I'll put my e-mail address on the post for a short time and you can email me your address.
      These were a gift to me from another gamer and I'm not going to be able to use them so I would much prefer them to go somewhere they will be used.
      No charge and if you don't want them just say so - I won't be offended.
      Cheers

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    5. Thanks John! Actually just responded on your latest post 🙂

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  5. Awesome job on the bond characters. I love Jaws its one of my favourite CD minis. I must pick up some of the others you've done I love bond I can watch them over and over. Reading the books is great as well none of the gadgets but still a good read. Thanks for the shout out. It was my first go on a podcast. It was great chatting to Brad in person as well.

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    1. Cheers Simon! Yeah, they really nailed the sculpt on Jaws for sure. Listening to both Brad and Jarrod's podcasts I've been watching quite a lot of Bond at night before bed 🙂

      You did a brilliant job on the podcast! You could definitely tell you got more comfortable as it went on and I'd attribute a lot of that to Brad. You can tell he really makes his guests feel at ease and makes it almost feel like it's just a chat between two friends at a table 🙂

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  6. Very cool Bond characters. I can relate to having minimal hobby time, actually I think we all can relate to that. Sometimes I get into weird situations where I have no time at home to go hobby stuff and plenty of time at work to write blog posts... 😀
    The Zorro stuff looks cool as well, I never thought of that as a miniature game but it’s an interesting idea!
    I’ll check out the podcast. I like to listen to them during my commute. Thanks for mentioning it, I had not heard of it before.

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    1. Thanks a lot Stew! Just don't get caught writing those posts at work and you'll be fine lol!
      I've been wanting to do the Zorro stuff for a while - I think it will work well with all the usual western story tropes 🙂 This table will have Zorro rescuing the kidnapped girl being held hostage.
      I think you'll definitely enjoy the podcasts, let me know what you think 🙂

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  7. Nice collection of Bond RPG materials not as easy to get nowadays :), the closest I have to a Bond RPG is the SpyCraft RPG, it doesn't have the same feel to it, nicely painted minis as well, planning a Bond game?

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    1. Much appreciated! Yeah, those three books I'm missing are usually off the charts price wise. I don't remember SpyCraft - Top Secret was the other big one of that era I remember.
      I had kicked around the idea of a Bond game for my big Historicon game a few years ago but switched the narrative over to Agent Carter, but the board I built was going to be easily used for a Bond themed adventure, especially with the underground facility beneath the manor 🙂
      https://saturdaymornings13.blogspot.com/2017/05/details-and-completion-on-4ground-manor.html?m=1

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    2. Oh yeah I remember you building that one, you also showed the James Bond art that you had used as inspiration if I'm not mistaken.

      If you are going to play a James Bond game or make some terrain or other stuff, would you do classic and todays James Bond?

      Spycraft was made by a company called AEG, they sort off just vanished some years ago.

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    3. That's exactly right! And I actually have that cut away art book next to me right now as I was looking through it at Piz Gloria again lol!
      I would say that I'll probably stay in that classic 60's Bond era - those first six movies have a special place for me nostalgia wise 🙂
      Interesting, I'll have to look up about Spycraft.

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    4. Ah the Sean Connery era... well there were 2 movies that didn't have Sean Connery and felt a bit blah so to speak, at least for me :)

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    5. I'm sure you're talking about On Her Majesty's Secret Service - I will tell honestly that I was same until I went back and rewatched it a few times after listening to the podcasts I mentioned above. It has definitely become a favorite of mine 🙂 I would definitely recommend giving it another watch with fresh eyes!

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    6. True, but one other, 1966 - Casino Royale (The old one with Peter Sellers)

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    7. You're right! I'd forgotten all about that one - good 'ol Jimmy Bond
      Did you ever see the movie with Sean Connery's brother Niel? "Operation Kid Brother" They tried so hard to make it like a Bond movie - even getting the same actors who played in the real movies. Now that was a train wreck lol!

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    8. I just had a look at Operation Kid Brother and its a typical Italian movie, and it seems very mashed together thing.

      So 1966 - Casino Royale (The old one with Peter Sellers) was so bad that you have forced out of you memory, to be honest when I saw it the first time I thought it was a comedy and not a bond movie.

      Sorry for double posting, I keep posting in the wrong place

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    9. Not a problem, I'm usually good for doing it once per post myself 😃
      Mashed together is being extremely nice believe me lol! It's horrendous.
      I'm with you, I actually consider Casino Royale a comedy and definitely seperate and not a part of the original Bond movies.

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  8. Hi Ivor!
    Thanks for the pod-advice. I've downloaded the Cast Dice 7TV episode. That will be interesting

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    1. No problem! I'm sure you'll enjoy it, but let me know what you think :)

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    2. That was nice. So nice I opened up my 7TV 2nd edition box and went through it all. I really have to start playing.
      I'll go through the rest of the Cast Dice episodes. A great tip!

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    3. Cheers Joakim! Now Brad really has me looking at "Gaslands" the way he's been talking about it so much 🙂.
      I really like how 7TV is presented and written like a real television production, actually feels like a TV episode. It's just too bad that it doesn't have a solo play option, it would probably see the table more for me then.

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    4. Yes, 7TV solo-mode would be great.
      Don't talk about Gaslands. I'm not listening. Lalalalalalala...

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    5. Lol! Tell me about it - and the Gaslands rule book is 40% off on Amazon right now with free shipping...

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  9. Well that went to all sorts of places I wasn’t expecting. I’ll have to give those podcasts a try. Excellent painting as ever.

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    1. Cheers Kieron! "Well that went all sorts of places I wasn't expecting" is pretty much the motto at the Saturday Mornings studio lol 🙂

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  10. Very cool! I love the new Spanish themed buildings from Crescent Root --- planning to use them for my Blood and Plunder games one day. You put me to shame with all the stuff you are getting done - great job Ivor!

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    1. Thanks my friend! Yeah, Mark knocked it out of the park with these latest buildings - now he just needs a Spanish mission to go with them 🙂
      I don't know about that - I'd much rather be rolling dice and actually playing a game or two instead of just getting ready for the possibility of one lol!

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