ASOBH Game Cards

Hello.....
I have created a set of cards for my Ratman army and wanted to share how I did this. First I start with having good photo of each minis I wanted to place on each card. I took photos of each of the Rat boys, using my coffee can photo box. Then I removed the background of the photo using Power Point. This is not required, but I felt it would give me a better looking card. To edit the photo I used Power Point in Office 2016, this can also be done in office 2010, and 2013 but it is done in word.

In this photo I have started to remove the back ground, then save the image as .png.


Now with the raw image (mini with no background) I added a new back ground also using Power Point. I had the new back ground open in a slide, then placed the mini over the back ground, grouped the two images and saved it.


Here is a photo I did in Word 2010, this is just an example.


Now that I have my photos I just needed to start up Magic Set Editor and make the cards.
For this I use the Leveler template. I just used the default fields as I wanted, and this can take a bit of messing around. Once I have a card I like I copy it and edit it with the new photo and information.

With the card set complete I just saved it then printed it off to PDF, and to paper. I an not sure if I will user my laminate the cards, or just print on card stock.

And the end result is this PDF file of my cards.


Well I hope this helps you make your own cards.

First Jumpa Troopa.

Mad Doc heer, to show off the first of the Fire Jumpas. To make this jumpa, I removed the base, moved the legs a bit, bet the arms in a bit. For the jump I used an old computer hard drive jumper. I put a fin on it, and a wire as the rounded top. I have made three jump packs one I used on this guy the other two I am going to cast. I could not get my camera to play nice today sorry for the shotty photos.

Orc vehicle contest My entry

Well I started my entry for this contest. It is going  to be a gun truck, manned by goblins. I am still working it out in my head, but as per the rules here are photos of the base of the model. Now I can not win as I am hosting the contest on my G+ community "Space Orcs" but I need to be in it.

My own personal challenge is to do this truck with our spending one cent on it. I have to make it with what I have in my house. Well I found the wheels on one of my son's broken hot wheels in the back yard.

The bulk of this is plastic card stock, and the cab is not solid but I put it together like a box. I also found that using scissors for cutting cloth the zigzag pattern work on card stock.

Here is the truck next to a boy.

Well this is the first round of photos for this contest. 

Please if you have any interest in Space Orciod types join the group.

Weekends Work.

This weekend started with a Snow storm, that left use with 10" of wet heavy snow. So what better time to hit the paint desk. I first worked on my Squats, then quickly move to the forward outpost building. I am also trying to get used to using a real camera, and some of the shots are just blah.

All miniatures are by.

• Khurasan: Mid Tech troops.
• 15mm UK: Space Pirates (Squats)
• Orc: MJ miniatures
• Praetorian Guard: Old Glory 15s
• GZG: Trikes, and heads. 

First up here is the outpost. I am very happy with this, but I need to touch up the dry brushing  as it is a bit heavy in places. The Squats are blurry, sorry better photos of them  later in the post.

Next up are the GZG trikes. I painted these up last week, but finished the bases this weekend.

Here are my first two head swaps. I used GZG heads and they a tad big, but I think they worked great. Also a crewed weapon.

As dawn breaks over the outpost, with Khurasan troops.

The outpost maned by Praetorian Guard, on the look out for the green skins. 

Here the squats have found the green skins or the green skins found them. Better shot of the Squats.

Sunday a day of Tinkering!

I spent the day tinkering around, I needed to fix up the molding for my windows, and I wanted to do some minis as well. So I started to paint up the GZG trikes. In the back you can see my Orc Boyz on their bikes, looking for a fight.

Then I got the idea of working on some terrain, and want to copy others with the electrical box buildings. The only problem is I have no bitz to attach to them. So I was off to make me some building bitz.

First I needed a door, so I made a door, then a mold, then a copy of the door in the mold. I used plastic card and made the door in three layers. The door is in two parts, I did that to make it look more real!

Then I needed more bitz, and got to work on them. So I took a turret hatch put some screen in it and I have a vent. I also did the same for a shield. The last bit is a hatch cover, I am just going to use as is. I did not make molds of these yet, but will. I have one more hatch cover that I forgot to take a photo of.

So Next I got to work on a building. I placed the door on, a left over radar thingy, some card stock around for texture (yes it is crooked), a drinking straw for a vent pipe. You can not see in the photo but I put some screening over one of the wire inlets in the back. Also the light blue circle on top of the photo, is a water bottle cap. I put some putty in the center, then pressed screen in it for texture. I want to cut it out for another grid cover.

That is it for now.

Noel.

PS, I filled the holes, sanded and primed my window molding too. They are ready to be re-installed on the windows.

Saturday A Busy Day for Me!

A co-worker asked me what I am doing this weekend, and I told him I am installing windows. As I am the IT support at work, he turned to me and asked if it was windows 8? That was a LOL moment. My day started at 5 with my F'n dog decided to bark out side my bed room door. So Now I am up what to to??? Oh yea base all of the minis I got over the last few weeks. Off to my coffee, maker to get a fresh cup, and go down to my painting desk. I pulled out all of the new minis I got and a pile of pennies, and got to work. Here is what I was able to get done. Two packs of GZG mercs, 4 trikes, 2 gun track trikes, three packs of 15mm UK Dwarfs, 2 packs of the new Orc types, and some odd few minis I had lying around.

OK now it was time for Window 2, I mean I need to install two new windows in my bed room. Let me just say this, my wife and I have been in this house for 12 years now and we never got around to out bed room. It was the same way it was the day we moved in, yuck!!!! So my wife can stand it no more. To get started I need to replace the window, and here is the work I have done today. First I removed the trim, and the wall paper around the windows.

Then pull the old ones out.

The I had to remove the storm window frame from the out side, but I can not use a ladder as it is like 10F out side and I will crack the siding. Oh and it was 20F in the room with the windows out.

Then I put in the new windows.

Now I used spray foam and will finish the trim tomorrow. I am reusing the trim, and the need to be sanded and the holes filled.

Time for dinner.

Noel.

Why I like PDF rule Books!

If you follow my blog you will know I played a solo game this past weekend. I used the rule set form 15mm UK called USE ME 001 SciFi rules. These rules if you do not know about them are a simple set of fast play rules for Skirmish, Platoon, or Company level gaming. So during the game I ended up with a bunch of questions, and fired off my questions to a group a great guys involved with these rules. They all responed, answering all my questions, and also pointing out some of my questions are answered in their other titles.

Now 15mm UK started with 001 SciFi, but have created a number of other titles covering different game types. USE ME 002 = Fantasy, USE ME 003= WWII. USE ME 004= Modern, USE ME 005 ACW, USE ME 006= StarShip batles, USE ME 007 Post Apocalypse, USE ME 008= The Wild West, USE ME 009= Zombie Dawn, USE ME 010= Support pack, USE ME 011= CyberPunk, USE ME 013= Horror. Now each book has some extra rules in them, and you can mix and match rules from each book. So Most of what I need answers for were in the USE ME 007 book. I own the following in PDF USE ME 001, 002, 003, 004, 007, 010. In non PDF (printed booklet) I own USE ME 001, 002, 007, 009.

Now for the reason why I like the PDF rules.
I went through the PDF USE ME-007 and saw a large 4 page section on advanced rules. these rules cover things like Close combat specialty, Anti-Tank, and some 27 other rules. In the first book there were only 4 of these rules. So I can print both books, and thumb through them as needed during a game, but that is a pain. So I have taken the PDF (with out permissions) and altered the book, then printed it in a booklet style.

In this photo you will see the hard copy from 15mm UK (on the right), and my printed PDF booklet (on the left). The Printed one is a 8.5X11 letter paper folded in half, with the edges trimmed off to make it cleaner looking. You will also see how the original copy is quite warn from thumbing through it.

This next photo shows the printed PDF booklet opened to the page ware I have inserted the pages from USE ME 007.

Now to how I managed the pages.
If you have the full version of Adobe Acrobat (lots of money) this is very easy to do. If you do not have lots of money, you have to get a bit crafty with it. There are a number of Free PDF editors out there. Here is One CutePDF Editor. For me I have Linux Ubuntu at home and used a free tool called PDF Shuffler. Ether tool will allow you to extract pages, then insert pages in to PDF files. When extracting pages make sure you do not delete them from the original PDF. To prevent this I have placed a copy of both books in a working folder called Workbench. I open the book USE ME-007 found the pages I wanted extracted, for this job it was pages 10 through 13. I used the extract button, and saved them as a file in the Workbench folder. Now I close USE ME-007, and open USE ME-001. With 001 open I went to the page I wanted to be before the inserted pages, in this case it was page 12. I now went to the insert option of the PDF editor selected the extracted pages saved in the Workbench folder, and inserted them after page 12. Now I went through the book page by page to make sure it was they way I wanted it, then save it as a new PDF. I called the PDG USE_ME_001_007.PDF.


Now as for how I made the booklet.
Back in December I wrote up a how to on how to print, and make booklets.
December"s Posting.
This covers how to print, and then how to put it together. As we all know a normal stapler will not be able to reach the center of this booklet 5.5 inches in from the edge. So I have devised a method using the fact that the stapler will open so you can staple flat. Lay out the cover page, place on a cardboard box, and drive the staples through the pages. Flip and fold the staples, and booklet, trim the edges and you are done.



So I will be looking through the other booklets I have and seeing if there is any thing I should be adding to my play book.

If you feel this post violates any copy rights, or you have issue with me altering you copy righted material please let me know @ noelvh AT theorky DOT net and I will remove this post.

Noel