In Memory of Rick Loomis

I asked Steve Crompton if I could share this with you. The impact Rick Loomis has had on the world of gaming can not be understated. 

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Rick Loomis at Gencon several years ago. He was a fixture at many conventions and people expected to see him year after year.

By Steve Crompton

Loss of our friend: By now many of you may have heard the sad news that Rick Loomis, President of Flying Buffalo and a gaming industry legend, passed away on Aug 23rd, just a few hours before his 72nd birthday.  Rick created and ran Flying Buffalo for almost 50 years, and was also President of GAMA (Gaming Manufacturers of America) on several occasions.

Rick's loss leaves a huge hole in our hearts and Flying Buffalo.  Rick was our mentor, our friend (a brother for his sisters) and the intermediary between the high-flying goals of the creative team and the real world. He helped us stay on track and reminded us of the limits of our budgets. Rick also made sure that whatever we created would be something that players would want.  And many, many times he made suggestions that made a game more playable or an adventure more usable. We will miss Rick every single day, and we plan to honor his wishes and hopes for the future of Flying Buffalo going forward.

So What Happens now?: While Rick was fighting cancer and was unable to attend to his work on processing the Kickstarter orders, he did manage to teach me how to do that, and I have been doing so since early July.  (Rick did everything before then.)

Rick's sisters and the entire Buffalo team are committed to continuing to process and ship out your Kickstarter orders.  In fact just today I did another 25 orders and they are now in shipping, ready to be packaged up. And tomorrow we'll be taking 40 finished orders to the post office. As of now, we only have about MSPE 175 orders left to ship out of the original 675 we started with.  And we will continue to ship out your orders until all of them have gone out.  We have everything in from the printers and everything that Mike was supposed to sign has been signed, so its just a matter of continuing until we are done.

Down the road there will also be new products for T&T, MSPE, Nuclear War, and Catalyst books like new Traps and Citybooks. They may not come as quickly as we'd like right now, as there is a lot to do in regards to taking care of Rick's estate and Flying Buffalo. But rest assured, we are soldiering onward.  That's what Rick wanted us to do - and we plan to do just that. So you don't need to worry - your items will be shipped out.

Please feel free to  post you comments below and if you want to contribute to help with Rick's Medial bills, funeral arrangements and other outstanding bills that have accrued due to Rick's illness you can contribute to his Gofundme campaign.

Thank you all for your concern, your patience and your belief in Rick's dream - Flying Buffalo.

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In Memory of Rick Loomis

In January 2017 I sculpted a miniature for Rick Loomis. We never did get around to creating the whole Tunnels and Trolls miniatures box set but his gentle manner, advice and encouragement left a lasting impression on me.  I would like to offer Buffalorick to all miniature pledge backers as a special gift in memory of Rick.

Rick Loomis (August 24, 1946 – August 23, 2019). *FREE to all miniature pledge backers.

Romilly Brown painted the miniature in the photo above. There are many details here; The Boojum Sword (named after the backyard Boojum tree that Rick was fond of), a cup of mountain dew, "as I am seldom seen around the office without a mug of mountain dew", The Carving Knife of Destiny - for carving out your destiny, Angelica the cat at his side and the wizard hat with "a wide brim like Gandalf." 

The horns were an unusual idea that hit me while I was running my dog. When I sculpted them, I almost chickened out. It seemed weird. I'd never seen buffalo horns on a wizard's hat before but it seemed too cool not to try. I am glad I kept them. Rick's response was, "I wondered why the horns. I didn't like them at first, but they seem to be growing on me. (Pun intended)."

There is also a Bundle of Holding that features a great collection of Buffalo's Catalyst supplements that work with any fantasy RPG. Please check it out also. 

Blessings,

Darcy Perry

Star Hat Miniatures for DuckQuest Fantasy Role Playing Games

DuckQuest Fantasy Roleplay!

Time to explore Duckwyrld... where four valiant Heroes of Quackmoor have been summoned by Mandrake, founder of the Guild of Delvers, to do battle with the nefarious Mordux and his evil minions. Seated upon the legendary Throne of Bones, the power of the Duck Lord grows with each passing night. You must boldly descend into the darkest dungeons of Castle Greyduck, defeat the Champions of Chaos and end the wicked rule of Mordux!

What's this you ask? More ducks?! Yes!!

My latest range of miniatures will now have their very own game. 

A couple of years ago I sculpted my first duck knight, Sir Drake. That diminutive miniature took me on the journey of a lifetime. A noble crested duck (and the small party that followed him) brought me to the attention of duck-loving gamers around the world. In particular, legendary (Hall of Fame) game designer and artist, Jennell Jaquays. Together we worked on Quack Keep and the small party of ducks grew to a village of quacky characters, Reedy Bend. 

The Original Party of Five, Painted by Claire van der Goes.

Yes, you can paint and play with these miniatures in your own quest games (and especially with settings like Quack Keep!) but after multiple messages asking for more information about Duckwyrld, Quackmoorand Greyduck... I have brought a personal project to this campaign. 

Four Valiant Heroes of Quackmoor!

It's the thought that came with that original duck knight. What if the ducks of a fantasy world were the main characters? It's what made Quack Keep unique. I called the original party of five "Duck Quest". Like the nursery rhyme; five little ducks went out one day, over the hills and far away. That's a quest, right? Unlike other games where ducks are relegated as side-kicks or comic relief, imagine they're the star players; the heroic explorers on an epic adventure. 

Champions of Castle Greyduck!

It's an idea that didn't go away. The more I looked around, the more I noticed that ducks got a raw deal. Something had to be done. So combining the need for ducks to be represented in a better light and a lifelong dream of writing my own fantasy heartbreaker RPG. I took the plunge and dived in! This is the cover to DuckQuest, with gratitude to Jon Hodgeson for his stunning illustration and Rom Brown (Whippersnapper Artworkz) for the brilliant logo design and layout.

Illustration by Jon Hodgeson. Logo and layout by Rom Brown.

 What will be beyond the cover? As much as we can pack into it! This is the opportunity to indulge in a world that takes nothing too seriously but delivers on high adventure and the occasional fowl pun.

But wait, there's more...

Magic Mushrooms!

Mercenaries!

Minions!

Crows!

Turtle Warriors!

So what are you waiting for? Come join in the DuckQuest!

Hagglethorn Hollow on Kickstarter

Greetings Delvers! I am very excited about this! It may have been something you are following already but I thought I should mention a project begun here in New Zealand that has just launched on Kickstarter. Hagglethorn Hollow is the lovingly designed, sculpted by hand, terrain set by Johnny Fraser-Allen.

In the video above (shot by Steve Unwin), Adam Savage talks with Johnny about the full project but for the moment, the Labyrinth and Buildings that are on offer. All of it is modular, and can be mixed and matched in an incredibly organic way.

Hagglethorn Hollow Full-Pledge

Because Johnny also works for Weta, it has a real film-set model level of detail. I can't wait to have Hagglethorn Hollow on my gaming table! He talks more about his background here in an interview with Beasts of War:

So what are you waiting for? Go check it out!

Blessings,

Darcy Perry
#starhatminiatures

Law Vs Chaos + The Double Doors of Doom!

Greetings Delvers!

40 hours to go on the Law Vs Chaos Kickstarter campaign and more craziness has appeared!

Here is a heavy piece of (resin) terrain for your next dungeon crawl. There are times in a sculptor’s life when they do something completely different. I blame Murray. Functions as a temple entrance (Dagon or Cthulhu?), or the throne room of a benthic king, or the janitor’s closet at Star Hat University, or as an inter-planetary gate. Travis loves the versatility.

The Double Doors of Doom! 120mm tall, 165mm wide and 80mm deep!

The Double Doors of Doom!

“The Double Doors of Doom,” Nika whispered in hushed tones, “you open them.”
Nanook stared up at the ornate doors with an uneasy feeling, “It’s your turn.”
“What, again?”
“Yeah, I opened the chest in the last room,” he said.
Nika coughed abruptly, “chests don’t count.”
“I think we’re being watched,” he said quietly, “and not in a good way…”
“Is there ever a good way?”
“It’s moving!”

Dungeons of Doom V: Law Vs Chaos + Kickstarter LIVE

It's alive! Dungeons of Doom V: Law Vs Chaos is the latest Kickstarter from Star Hat Miniatures is now LIVE on Kickstarter! I am really excited about sharing these new miniatures with you!

This is my 5th Kickstarter and it's really exciting to have a couple of fantastic sculptors on board. Here are the giants from Anton Ducrot (Flytrap Factory):

Anton's Giants: Milton, Cecil with boar, and Kongeegenan!

Gary Hunt (Gary Hunt Miniatures and Weta) has also gifted his pet Black Dragon to the Law Vs Chaos campaign:

Gary's Black Dragon, Borranix!

Here are the new miniatures I have sculpted (so far) for Dungeons of Doom V: Law Vs Chaos:

If you see anything you like, or just want to say hello, you're welcome. It only takes NZ$1 (about 50 UK pence or 66 US cents) to become a backer that can comment and be part of the journey.

Casting and shipping are from New Zealand (Regal Enterprises and Star Hat Miniatures), Ohio in the United States (Effin Cool Miniatures) and Gloucestershire (Macrocosm) in the United Kingdom.

This Kickstarter ends on the 31st August 2018.


Blessings,

Darcy Perry

Dungeons of Doom: Law Vs Chaos

Greetings Delvers! With the last of the Duck Dragons flying to new homes around the world, it’s time for the next Kickstarter campaign. Delvers Lost in the Dungeons of Doom V: Law Vs Chaos!

In preparation for the launch I have been sharing photos and video clips of the new sculpts, mainly on the Book of Faces. However, for those who have found my humble gaming blog, here is a Hits To Kill exclusive peek.

As you can see, I have done my best to capture the theme of a great battle between the forces of Law and Chaos. Yes, Rom Brown from WhipperSnapper Artworks and Cult of Game is back to help me with my banners.

Ok, yes, so there is one duck... and a Fowlbear of course - but why wouldn't they turn up to an "end of the world" party? Suffice to say, it's the ultimate battle of Law Vs Chaos and you're all invited! There is a draft campaign page for the next Kickstarter here. Please, do stop by and check it out. You can even leave comments, as I am still fine-tuning it.

Finally, you may have noted I spend a lot of time thanking people? Well, I have a lot to be thankful for. Nothing would've happened two years ago without people around the world backing my first Kickstarter. We certainly wouldn't be here now! Over those two years, I have made new friends (and relied heavily on old friends) who have shared the Star Hat Vision and helped create a place where "Little Things Bring Big Grins!"

For everyone who backed Quack Keep - A thousand thank you's! Everyone of you! And especially...
Jennell Jaquays for the amazing Quack Keep journey.
Ian and Allan Farelly at Regal Enterprises.
Elton Waters at Scotia Grendel.
Rom Brown at Whippersnapper Artworkz.
Lewis Morgan (aka Zebong).
Grant Stone (Archchancellor of Star Hat University).
Anton Ducrot (FlyTrap Factory).
The Box Trolls!
My beloved wife Deb and our wonderful children.

Remember, if you're painting these miniatures and posting photos online, please tag #StarHatMiniatures so I can see them! Star Hat Miniatures is also on Facebook.

I hope to welcome you back soon for Law Vs Chaos! The Kickstarter campaign launches in a week from now and I have a few surprises in store! Maybe this deserves a fresh blog post? Stay tuned...

Star Hat Miniatures Online Store

starhatminiatures.com

It's official! Star Hat Miniatures now has an Online Store!

There is a lot of celebrating going on here in Hobbiton. Please have a look and let your friends know.

Also, there is a new Kickstarter just around the corner...

Quack!

Dungeons of Doom III + Legendary Heroes Feluria & Yako

Delvers Lost in the Dungeons of Doom III. They're back! More delvers lost in the Dungeons of Doom! This time they're hunting The Dragon!

Feluria & Yako
By Luke Butcher

Feluria and Yako were not always the inseparable duo you see today. They both seem to have the same care-free, whimsical attitude about the world.

Yako had always been a prankster, travelling from his favorite fields to create mischief in the nearby sleepy villages. When he judged the time was right, Yako would pull pranks and make it seem like an unsuspecting villager had been the one to pull them.

One day he went too far. Yako made the mistake of digging out a bit of dirt near the town apothecary. This caused a section of the wall to fall out, crashing into the village center, where the well which provided water for the entire village was.
Shelves full of many different concoctions fell into the well, from which erupted an angry water elemental!  Polluted by the potions, the once benevolent elemental water elemental demanded the one responsible to come forward and face judgement or it would destroy the whole village. 

A frightened apprentice stumbled from the rubble, drenched in the perfume of various salves and ointments, while terrified villagers stood rooted in terror. Just as the water elemental was about to pass judgement Yako leaped in between the two; facing down the elemental and conveying he was the one responsible.
The sentence for polluting a water spirit was death and Yako knew this. He was fine with people taking the fall for petty pranks but letting someone die from his tom-foolery was out of the question. As Yako stood there ready to accept his fate, a fairy appeared and petitioned to be his guardian! 

Feluria had been tailing Yako for a very long time, albeit unseen from afar as his occasional companion. Upon birth intelligent beings such as Yako are assigned a watcher fae (as they can be destructive if uncared for). 

Being a watcher was common enough. A fae becoming a guardian was by far a more rare occurrence. They had to feel a true sense of empathy for a creature; which could be difficult considering how often their view of the mortal world shifted. Yako took after Feluria's own heart; a spirit of nobility and liberty that knows no bounds.

Whether moved by Yako's gesture or Feluria's plea it remains unknown. The elemental allowed Yako to live but only as long as they were bound as mistress and familiar. Ever since that fateful day Feluria and Yako have been inseparable, though sometimes only by force of the magical bond set upon them.

The funding from this Kickstarter will pay for the moulds and casting of at least 8 new miniatures. Legendary Hero pledge backers will unlock more miniatures from 5k onwards. Reaching 10k funding will unleash The Dragon!

Delvers Lost in the Dungeon of Doom III https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darcyperry/dungeons-of-doom-iii-dragon-slayers-star-hat-minia

What are you waiting for? Let the adventure begin! We're going on a Dragon hunt!

Last Week of a Successful Kickstarter + How Do You Do It?

Alliteration Works!

What a great start to 2017! Starting with a Kickstarter that funds in two days, January is almost at a close and so is that Kickstarter. Dungeon Delvers Lost in the Dungeons of Doom! 2!! has basically followed that same template as the first DDLitDoD! and apart from being 19 days long instead of 33 days, the backer trend seems to be similar also. Lots of action initially and then a plateau. "Day after day, day after day, We stuck, nor breath nor motion; As idle as a painted ship. Upon a painted ocean." to quote Samuel Coleridge.

What do you do? How do you get more interest? How do you get beyond this inertia? When backers change their pledges up/down/sideways or worse yet... drop off altogether!

With extraordinary strength of purpose. Or, in one word: Faith. Not just in God (although that certainly helps me!) but also in the creative process and being ready to begin right now. Why wait? You're probably as ready to start something now as you'll ever be. And you keep on communicating. Discuss the project with your backers. Ask what they like. What they would love to see. Keep working on it, and be patient.

I have no doubt the second Kickstarter will fund and I didn't even before it went live. What is the secret of my success? Hard to be sure. Obviously having "Dungeons" in the title has helped. People recognise the genre just from that work. Alliteration may also have contributed. What do I think is more important than all that? I love sculpting these miniatures (a new skill, though I've painted them for decades) and have enjoyed fantasy roleplaying since childhood. I let that love shine through. Be passionate! People get that. I really would love my miniatures in your hands and on your gaming table! Because I believe the world is a better place when people come together. Games are one way to enable that.


I have also made some new friends from around the world. The internet makes collaboration easy and with their encouragement and support, I offer something better than if I did everything myself. It also means word gets out in different places, like France and Germany (and America) for example. Friends closer to home are equally important because the Kickstarter isn't over when it hits the funding date. Without my gaming group, collating addresses and packing boxes would've been a nightmare!

A shout out to a few fine fellows my be in order here:

Lewis, Grant, Greg, Blair, Dennis and Dave for their inspiration at the gaming table (and help packing boxes).
Erik Tenkar, for letting me sculpt his famous dwarf, Tenkar Calishun.
Ken St. Andre (creator of Tunnels & Trolls), for his advice on Trolls and encouragement throughout this project.
Rick Loomis (Flying Buffalo) and Liz Danforth for their blessings and support.
John R. Lehman for his review.
Rom from Cult of Game, for his mad graphic design skills and another cool review.
Will from The Grinning Skull: Grim’s Dungeons of Doom, who is definately a kindred spirit!

My loving wife and our awesome children who don't mind having a crazy sculptor around.

God bless you and have a fantastic week!

Tenkar Calishun + St Andre Troll + Delvers Lost in the Dungeons of Doom! 2!!

Warriors & Wizards. 

Here we are, January 2017 and I realise that my gaming blog has been gathering interweb dust. So, what have I been up to? December featured a trip to Fiji for a youth convention on climate change. I am really surprised how quickly Christmas rushed by! I enjoyed time with my family at the beach - it's a cracking hot summer in New Zealand. Running through the native bush and swimming at the beach is a great way to unwind after a challenging year in my new role as a Youth Ministry Coordinator.

I also began sculpting again. I sculpted my first 'Green', a barbarian called Kroag for my friend Lewis. Green putty is so much easier to use than Tamiya Quick Epoxy Putty! I continued to be amazed as more miniatures took shape. While at the beach I contacted another blogger, the renowned Erik of Tenkar's Tavern. 

I found him on Facebook and sent him a message:

• 31/12/2016 08:50
  

  Darcy Perry
  

  
  

  
  

  Hey Erik, not sure what time it is there but it's quarter to nine, the morning of New Year's Eve here in New Zealand. I am a longtime follower of your blog. I was wondering if you ever had a miniature of Tenkar the Dwarf sculpted? I am new to sculpting but have managed a successful Kickstarter campaign and will be starting another one early 2017. Are you interested? Merry Christmas, Darcy Perry
• 

  31/12/2016 08:51
  

  Erik Tenkar
  

  
  

  
  

  heh - that would actually be kinda awesome :)

We chatted for a while and Erik sent me some artwork. Over the next few days we discussed details about his axe and shared our love for gaming,

Tenkar's Tavern

I started with his face (needs more beard!)

A double-bladed bearded-axe!

Goat insignia on his stein!

Then I thought about my friend Mark, an avid Tunnels & Trolls gamer. Ok, a fanatical Tunnels & Trolls player. He has even written and published Solo T&T Adventures! So, me thinks, how about making him a Troll? I hadn't sculpted a monster before. I may have even told a few folks I would stick to smaller heroes. Never say never.

Wait a minute, he's mates with Ken St. Andre! Ken stayed at his place last time he visited New Zealand. What if I asked Ken for advice about a Troll miniature? That would be really cool. So I went back to Facebook. I soon had an email with two screenshots of a Troll from Snow White and the Huntsman, along with a couple of snapshots of Ken's smiling face! Game on!

The result? The St. Andre Troll!

The Wire

Low on Green Stuff, I resort to left over Tamiya Quick Epoxy Putty.

Fedora hat for style.

Ken prefers his Trolls without toes or nails/claw.

The great Troll Hammer!

Note the rulebook and dice bag!

Welcome to the Dungeons of Doom!

Ken's archetypal Trollworld Rock Troll.

Ken is an amiable guy. He also knows what he likes in a troll. As you can see, I took some licence as an artist, making the St. Andre Troll a combination of sentient rock and more Ken-like features. I was also inspired by the art of Josh Kirby and Liz Danforth that for me, were the Trolls of my youth. They are burned into my brain. Ken suggested a Tarzan loincloth, which was great because (I love Tarzan, and) it meant a belt. Which meant a belt buckle. So I put a T&T on that!

I also slipped a rulebook in his left hand and a dice bag hangs from the studded belt. You need a lot of six-sided dice to play Tunnels & Trolls! The hammer is a nod to Troll Hammer Press, while the fedora hat is Ken's signature headgear.  

I launched the 2nd Star Hat Miniatures Kickstarter this afternoon. In a couple of hours it was half funded. As I write this, I realise I will be packing a lot of boxes in February!

God bless you all and enjoy your week!