Seeing as the first of the month has become a bit of a dump of content, I thought I'd save this update until the next day. Apologies for that.
I'm still, even after two years, still getting to grips with Patreon and what it can and can't do. I've now worked out how to whittle the plethora of different compendia into a single post, but didn't have the time to fix that this month so, next month, there will be JUST ONE compendium post for all tiers, with links to ALL content. It's just tha...
2021-09-02 11:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
I've unlocked the Capture rules for you guys to check out, this month.
Everything else is in the All Patrons compendium. As of next month, there will be just one compendium, so I didn't see the need to spell this all out for you guys.
2021-09-01 11:04:25 +0000 UTC
View Post
This compendium contains all of the content available to Heavy Elite patrons.
Heavy Elites now have access to Publicity Stunt, a beta mission from Operation Kurgan in which the heroes must perform for the cameras to gain kudos with the media.
Free Rules & Discount Codes!
Most people are here for tabletop wargames content, so these links are for you:
2021-09-01 11:01:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
This compendium contains all of the content available to all patrons.
Later today, I will unlock one Rule of the Month per month to Elites, starting with the Rule of the Month from May: "capture" rules to allow heroes to tie up vulnerable enemies to stop them interfering with the plan or from raising the alarm.
I will unlock one Mission of the Month per month to Heavy Elites, starting with Publicity Stunt, in which the heroes are forced to perform acts of drama and derrin...
2021-09-01 11:01:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
This compendium contains all of the content available to Mech-level patrons - Defence or Combat. And, by the way, why did no one point out that there was no compendium for you guys in August?? I only just noticed.
Free Rules!
Most people are here for tabletop wargames content, so these links are for you:
Horizon Wars: Infinite Dark (beta)
H...
2021-09-01 11:00:54 +0000 UTC
View Post
You may be unsurprised to hear that I'm running short of new rules to share with you every month. Possibly I over-played my hand in previous months when you got several, but as they were kind of inter-connected I felt like I had to go the whole hog.
So I hope you don't feel short-changed this month with a simple new Ally option in the form of the Ghost.
ALLY - Ghost
Ghosts are intelligence assets, like Spooks but, perhaps, less trusted or just less competent...
2021-09-01 08:01:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
Based on an original idea by Sacha Stand, I tweaked Sacha's concept a little, but I hope he can still see his work in the final(ish) version.
I've made a few suggestions on alternative ways to play this mission, but I think it's got a lot of potential to create a range of different missions, challenges and options built around the same core idea.
One which I didn't mention in the document is different ways of breaking up your table. This is going to be a little personal, depending...
2021-09-01 08:00:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
Draft work, subject to change. This is the fiction that introduces the first mission in Operation Kurgan, "Publicity Stunt".
‘Look, Major, we just need something we can deliver.’
Leon sighed and took another pull from his coffee mug. As he had expected, the X Team operators were coming together well. Every one of them had been recruited from the best of the X Teams and other forces from all over Mars’s rescue and containment efforts, from Petersberg to Toro...
2021-08-31 23:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
One of you emailed me privately to ask if they could see the current state of the FEAR rules and, in a moment of weakness, I agreed to share the Google doc with them.
No criticism of this enthusiastic supporter!
But I woke up this morning feeling guilty that I'd done that and left the rest of you out. So, listen, if you want pre-beta access to the unfinished rules that need a HELLUVALOT of fixing and updating because the rules in my head aren't always the rules on the pag...
2021-08-31 14:24:33 +0000 UTC
View Post
In this episode, I revisit the apparent demise of Guild Ball. No, really, it's dead. But only... kind of dead? Stuff happened. I talk about it.
Also, Secret Weapon Miniatures is dead. Probably. Again, kind of. I talk about that.
And Asmodee. Definitely not dead, but responsible for other things maybe kind of dying. But not really. Let's talk about that!
SCRIPT FOLLOWS!!
NEWS
Fri 27th August. My name is Robey Jenkins...
<and my nam...
2021-08-27 11:00:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
Today, I'm putting the finishing touches to Sacha Stand's mission concept, The Tower, for our October Mission of the Month, as well as pressing on with Zero Dark: FEAR. I hope to have a beta version up for patrons very soon.
Meanwhile, I'd like to start giving my patrons below the Defence Mech level a bit of a taste of what's available at the higher levels. Yes, admittedly, this is partly to try to tempt you to up your support. But it's also to make sure you get some w...
2021-08-25 10:28:33 +0000 UTC
View Post
This is an early-access video exclusive for patrons. This video will be publicly released later this week.
Tony, one of my patrons, asked if we could have a chat to help him get started conceptualizing a game he wanted to write - just for himself and his particular circumstances.
Tony has down-sized his life and wants to down-size his hobby to match his new lifestyle, but although he has a clear understanding of the end-point he wants in his new game, he needed some help ...
2021-08-23 12:19:40 +0000 UTC
View Post
This week, I turn to the sticky topic of command and control. I explain why I've resisted tackling the topic until now, take apart the relationship between IRL C3I and miniatures wargaming, and dissect the different ways games can and do handle the various challenges of abstracting the relationship of leaders and subordinates into stats and mechanics.
I also touch upon the much-commented-upon "Fog of War" and explain why I think most people's understanding of the term is flawed and why ...
2021-08-20 11:00:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
Thank you, so much, for supporting Precinct Omega over the last year and more. By the end of August, I will have turned 46, which is a daunting prospect. But instead of looking inward, I prefer to share the love. So I'm offering a discount of 23% (that's 1% for every year of my time on this ship of fools) on all of my paid-for digital products.
THESE CODES WILL BE LIVE ON SATURDAY 21ST AUGUST. As Patrons, you are getting advance warning. I know that most of you already ...
2021-08-19 10:18:29 +0000 UTC
View Post
Wednesday mornings are dedicated to Patreon content, but that doesn't always mean I necessarily post something. But I thought I'd let you know what I *am* up to.
First, Zero Dark FEAR is, in text form, basically finished. I've got a little fiction still to add, and I'd like to add a Versus mission of some sort, but the main body of the first draft is completed and I'm now doing the maps, running light playtests and adjusting the rules to try to make the missions actually achiev...
2021-08-18 08:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
We picked up a new patron, recently, on the back of an email chat I had with them about Horizon Wars and my plans for Midnight Dark, which kind of sent me back to the drawing board to push this project along a little.
Now, a lot of people - myself included - have described Horizon Wars as "abstract" in the past. But, with due consideration, I think it's probably more like "impressionistic". The object of the rules was to convey a sense of kinetic, tactical sci...
2021-08-16 13:48:41 +0000 UTC
View Post
I can only apologize for how long it took me to get behind this story. I was on holiday when it first broke and I thought it was a non-issue, so I ignored it and recorded a different episode, then I went away on another short holiday and the story continued to snowball. I got home and recorded this episode immediately, but I already had episodes lined up to cover my period away.
So, finally, here's my detailed look at the astonishing news about Corvus Belli moving to partial manufacturi...
2021-08-13 11:01:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
If you play digital RPGs or, indeed, ever read a Fighting Fantasy gamebook or any of their myriad imitators, you'll be familiar with the idea of a branching plot in a game. This is where the player or players make a decision that pushes the story in a particular direction. Other options for the story are then closed off and the story follows the plot line arising from that decision.
Sometimes, branches like this re-connect with another plot-lie. More often, they don't.
In...
2021-08-11 10:29:30 +0000 UTC
View Post
Having put a lot of effort into consistent monthly content, I feel like I've somehow lost touch with the "soul" of this Patreon, no longer really giving you guys the behind-the-scenes insights into my gradual mental deterioration* that you're here to enjoy.
With that in mind, some of you - if you follow me on Instagram, which you really should - might have seen that I spent part of the weekend just gone wor...
2021-08-09 08:02:31 +0000 UTC
View Post
9th August was the arbitrary date I set for getting back to social wargaming and, with no sign on the horizon yet of anything radically apocalyptic to change that plan, it is time to make plans about what I'm going to play. Other than Horizon Wars games, obviously.
So, with that in mind, how can I choose from the plethora of excellent games out there which ones I'm going to focus on for the next 12 months? I think there's room for a maximum of three, but which three? Well, afte...
2021-08-06 11:01:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
All that follows is subject to change, but is an early sight of the work I'm doing to create the story behind Operation Kurgan.
'This whole situation is just a complete shit show.'
Leon had to agree with the Colonel. What had started out as a straightforward rescue mission with some equally straightforward ulterior motives to secure advanced technology and local specialists hadn't stopped coming unraveled since the moment they had touched down at the Malaca spaceport.
...
2021-08-01 11:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
It's another twofer, this month. As you'll have gathered, Operation Kurgan has a big emphasis on the role of the media in warfare, so we get a new specialism for your heroes to choose: the XJay.
Like an EmJay, but better, XJays have proved themselves not only reliable, but tough, resourceful and willing to get their own hands dirty in pursuit of a good story.
An expeditionary journalist (XJay) is an independent freelancer given the job of making an official, inde...
2021-08-01 11:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
This month's Mission of the Month might look like a bit of a cheat, because it's a hybrid of the last two months, but you should find it has its own feel.
In Honey Trap, the heroes had no option but to head towards the static objectives, and in Catch the Pigeon, the Infiltrator would get away if you didn't make a beeline for them ASAP.
But Candy From A Baby offers an alternate strategy that requires patience and precision.
If your heroes can positi...
2021-08-01 11:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
This compendium contains all of the content available to all patrons.
In July, I added the EWOp patron level, so I will be unlocking new content for Elite and Heavy Elite patrons. As of 1st September, I will unlock one Rule of the Month per month to Elites, starting with the Rule of the Month from May: "capture" rules to allow heroes to tie up vulnerable enemies to stop them interfering with the plan or from raising the alarm.
Also as of 1st September, I will unlock one M...
2021-08-01 08:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
NEWS
Oh, Lordy, we have to talk about tax again.
On 1st July, the European Union introduced new rules regarding the payment of fees on goods imported to any of their member countries. Obviously, this no longer includes the UK. However, other than the fact that UK-based companies importing to the EU are also affected by this, this has nothing to do with Brexit.
Inevitably, small businesses all over the world - and even some quite large ones - are losing their frickin’ min...
2021-07-30 11:01:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Inspired by my conversation with Gav, I thought I'd do an episode on "emergent properties" - where this idea comes from and what forms they take in miniatures wargames.
My first effort turned out to have corrupted after 12 minutes, with no sound recorded, so I had to re-do it and the second effort honestly wasn't quite as good as the first one, but I think I covered most of the same material.
No script this week, obviously.
2021-07-23 11:01:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
I'm away from the studio and my laptop for the next week.
That doesn't mean I'm not working and I've already prepped content for you lot that will pop up when it's due. Nor does it mean that I won't respond to questions or suggestions. But it does mean that this will mostly be restricted to evenings; answers may be brief; and my Internet connection may be intermittent.
In particular, though, I'll be planning this fantasy game dev project.
See you on the other side!
2021-07-19 11:26:40 +0000 UTC
View Post
After discussing this with you guys not long ago, I thought I'd make the script for scripted episodes a Patreon-exclusive piece of content and post it at the same time as the episode. This also means that I'm going to stop making the podcasts public content via the Patreon (they'll still be available on Podbean and YouTube, of course).
Note that the script and what I actually say in the podcast may not always be the same thing. But it's close.
NEWS
New re...
2021-07-16 11:00:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Horizon Wars range of miniatures games have, of course, not had to be written from scratch since I've been using the mechanics from the original game as starting points for each new design. This has been a tremendous boon for me, but not necessarily helpful for people wanting to write their own games and not sure where to start.
I've been pondering doing a video series for YouTube on how to get started in miniatures game design. And I've been having a few private conversations with ...
2021-07-15 08:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Gav is the third patron I've been delighted to welcome on to the podcast.
We spend some time on his GW career, with an emphasis on the internal workings of the business from his perspective. Obviously, we also talk about Inquisitor, because I couldn't not do that. And we - eventually - get to the subject of narrative and how mechanics can create the experience of narrative events in a miniatures wargame.
There will be a YouTube edition of this podcast but, for technical r...
2021-07-09 11:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
