Miniature Picture Editing

One feedback I got from the first photobox results was that I should, now that the picture quality itself was improved, also should care more about image post-processing (as if I am not doing enough of that on my job...). Until now, my routine was, using Irfanview, to crop and resize the image, apply automatic corrections and then just play a bit with brightness, contrast and saturation.
Now, I browsed a bit, installed Raw Therapee and startet moving ledgers. For comparison, I present the same picture raw, as previously shown, and with the new settings:

Raw

Old post-processing

New post-processing

I hope the white should be whiter now, the edges sharper and the contrast/saturation less over-abused.

Next will be more test on other miniatures like some good old pink high elves. Feedback is always appreciated!

Stay epic!

Requiem For Uncharted Seas, Part II: Thaniras Elves Cruisers

This is the next part of the requiem for my Unchartes Seas miniatures: Today, I present the three cruiser types for the Thaniras Eves. First one ist the original one featuring sails:

I have to admit, I never found them to be very useful in game. I preferred their orb-powered equivalents that also came with enough boarding troops to actually not die to a frigate in melee.

Maybe not needing to paint sails also influenced my blatant favouritism here. The last ones, heavy cruisers, were the ultimate release for the Thaniras Elves before the system faded away. The fact that I did not even bother to paint them shows that they already came too late.

Next time, there might be dragons.

Stay epic!

Gaming Memories: Imperialism

One of the older games I like to still play now and then over 20 years later: Imperialism. This game, as the name might imply, simulates being in charge of an expanding early industrial nation in the 19th century (either a random "fantasy" world or a historic Europe scenario). Luckily, it does not try to simulate every little thing that could be done, but focuses on a few mechanics that reflect the times politics quite well I think: Production and recruitment only happen in your capital, where you expand factories, build ships, railroad cars and such. It is your first task to connect your countryside to your capital via ship or train, which purpose is basically to just supply resources to your centralised state: Food, wood, iron, coal and a few more, with the later addition of oil.
Money for your budget comes, aside from gold or gem mines, only from trading, which requires even more resources to produce export goods like textiles, weapons, tools or furniture. To further this, you can make smaller countries your colonies, leading to them selling cheap raw materials to you and buying your processed goods.
It might be simplified, but to me, it shows how centralisation, resource exploitation and colonialism work very well. As an adolescent, I also learned quite a few things about history from the games tech progress. Going till 1915, you can develop early modern arms, leading to an approximation of WW1's meat grinder if you try to charge into 30 fortified artillery units.

You may either win by conquest (try before the aforementioned situation occurs) or by being elected world leader (also happening if you conquer enough clay).









In my experience, the higher difficulties are brutal, but the funny random country and province names as well as the quarterly newspaper let you fail in enjoyment.

On easy difficulties, it is nice relaxing game caring about cotton, wool and wood shipments. Just a few more guns than Settlers of Catan. Added benefit: It runs on any kind of wimpy Notebook if needed and is available on gog.com.

There is actually a second part, set in the age of colonialism, but I never warmed up to it.

Stay epic!