TMM 013: The Great Great Unclean One

I'm currently working on a Nurgle Diary installment which is going to be a conversion of my bootleg Great Unclean One which you may have seen sawn in half during my last video. I love the model but as a centrepiece on the tabletop, I always wished it was a little more me and a little more ridiculous.

Now I'm going to do just that, but turn it into a diorama piece where the Great Unclean One acts as a home for smaller models as well. I want this piece to be playable because I'm sure my local club could use it in a narrative game or something later down the line.

I'm simultaneously moulding and casting the Grim Dark Daemon Prince and the Cultist models. Both moulds seem successful so far but I’m waiting on more silicone which should arrive tomorrow. These models will be released in a limited run following the Plague Toads.

My goal is for the toads to go on sale in February and you wonderful Patrons will be notified of their availability earlier than everyone else because the quantities are so small. I'd hate for you to miss out.

I’m due to release an Arcane Ugly video and this one will go live with a major update of the rulebook. I find the AU videos are always tougher ones to put together and take some time as I want the video to be enjoyable for both the new viewers and those who have been following along the whole time.

Here’s some of the exciting new additions on the horizon for Arcane Ugly…

Group Starting Gear System: Along with individual Adventurers getting gear through character creation, groups may also go through a similar process that will generate unique circumstances and unique shared gear. I’m hoping it will bring new teamwork and interaction dynamics to the early game as a way to help new groups get to know each other.

Secret System: Adventures will optionally have secrets about themselves. This is a system that I really enjoyed in a D&D module called Rime of the Frostmaiden. For example: An Adventurer may secretly be on the hunt for a particular item, or hiding something stolen from dangerous people, or trying to sneak an illegal pet across the border. This system means each Adventurer has their own hidden motive aside from the main adventure and that, in my experience, led to interesting and meaningful interactions.

Studying Mechanic: This mechanic can lead to Ability improvements, making your own spell books and designing your own potions. The Studying Mechanic bounces off an idea conceived in an early Arcane Ugly video, in which Adventurers will attend a formal study in the game, whether it’s a university, apprenticeship or time with a mentor. This could also work well with a crafting mechanic which has been suggested often since the Beta Release.

More love given to intelligence-focused Adventurers: The intelligence ability will be given more importance when overcoming tasks and challenges. There will be the introduction of intelligence based weapons, for example: technology or alien-based weapons. The intelligence ability will also be used for healing.

Art: There will be some new art based off my recent Nurgle Diaries dioramas, crossing over the two projects as always intended.

I’ve received another 3D model of the Walking House from Danny (3D Printed Tabletop). At this stage we’ve decided there will be two scales, one option to print it in true size and then another option at a smaller resolution, to accommodate smaller printers. We need to make these decisions as the files need to have print supports added and the support process costs money. I am now waiting for the physical print to arrive which I’m excited to put together and make a diorama with.

For the studio, my dad and I are working on a new sound system made from recycled parts from the TV station. We’re using old PA speakers and old audio monitoring gear which has all handmade circuitry from back in the day as each bit of equipment was purpose-built. The first step is fixing the broken stuff but the end product will be speakers mounted in one of the big blue cases like a boom box, with analog monitors on it. It's gonna be cool and it's gonna be loud.

Moulding and casting station set up

Going into casting all these toads, what made the process really easy and enjoyable was good preparation. I ensured I had the mixing area at a comfortable height so I could work standing without straining my back, which meant everything was propped up on an apple crate. The apple crate was one of those cool finds at the TV station that has a bit of history; they’d use apple crates for people to stand on or to prop up lights etc.

I also weighed one of the cast toads so that I knew the target weight of the resin that I needed to mix. (You do need to add a couple of grams on to that as you lose some in the mixing cup.) Having all that maths in front of me, in big physical notes, really helped because when your brain gets tired it's easy to forget simple things.

Because my pressure pot is homemade, the lid and the pot need to be aligned in a certain way for clamping, so I added indicators. This cut down fiddling with the lid to get it right. The resin I was using had a two and a half minute pot life which is how long until the resin becomes unpourable, so time was really essential.

Another useful tool was a big bulldog clip which I used to clip the hose to the table, keeping it in place even when it wasn’t connected to the pressure pot. It seems like a really insignificant thing, but in my last casting session I wasted so much time looking for the hose in between casts.

I put a clock on my workstation so I could keep track of time and be as efficient as possible. Next time I’d like to replace it with an egg-timer. It takes 15 minutes before you can demould the model, which is a really annoying amount of time because it’s not long enough to do important things, but it’s too long to waste. I lined up lots of little jobs like sweeping, sorting tools, cleaning out drawers, or skateboarding when I needed a break, to stay productive in between.

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The Q&A will be uploaded separately shortly.

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