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Post by jeffgeorge on Mar 19, 2018 14:26:05 GMT -9
I just noticed that most of the Fat Dragon paper terrain is on sale right now at DTRPG for 50% off. I really like a lot of the Fat Dragon stuff--especially the Winterhawk Castle line--but at MSRP, it's a bit pricey. When it's marked down by half, it becomes much more affordable. I'm not sure how long this sale lasts--there's no mention of it on DTRPG, aside from the discounted prices. On the Fat Dragon website, there's a mention of a "13th Anniversary Sale this week only," but I'm not at all sure when "this week" begins and ends, so you might want to hurry...
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Post by wyvern on Mar 20, 2018 13:32:13 GMT -9
This sale's been ongoing for quite a while, as it began a few days before the big OBS GM's Day Sale in early March (I got an e-flyer about it in late Feb, I think). Didn't realise it was still in progress though, and yes, you're quite right, it's weirdly never featured on the OBS "Sales" page, plus it wasn't in the GM's Day Sale either, because it was a special Fat Dragon GM's Day Sale, not the "official" one. I had the impression this year that a few publishers had set up their own sales to avoid the official OBS one, so they could offer a lower discount than the unusually generous 33% off during the sale (last year's GM's Day Sale, even so the most generous of the year, was "only" 30% off!). But Fat Dragon's was still more generous than that! Sadly Fat Dragon seems to have ditched new paper models in favour of home-printed 3D plastics over the last couple of years, not something of any interest to me, and I know Tom's run several sales and bundle promos on just the papercraft over the same period. Mostly because I've bought up substantial quantities of what I didn't already have during them... Made up the Winterhawk Orc Tower that came as a freebie with the Lord Zsezse Works Elven Towers Kickstarter project late last year, and was so impressed with that, I've just picked up the other two Winterhawk Towers in the latest promo. Wizards Tower is printed out and awaiting attention shortly already
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Post by jeffgeorge on Mar 20, 2018 17:33:02 GMT -9
The most elaborate Fat Dragon piece I've actually assembled is the Winterhaven Watchtower, a 5-level "round" (which is to say, octagonal) tower, which is really attractive. I did it as part of my ongoing Frostgrave project, because it has texture options for snow and icicles, as does some (but not all) of the rest of the Winterhaven line. That tower came in some other big Fat Dragon special bundle I picked up some time last year, or maybe in 2017, most of which I've still never built, but as I said, it came out really nice. It's very sturdy, has lots of 3D details, and the floors stack and unstack easily to allow you to move figures inside the tower, if that appeals to you. It also has an alternative ruined top section, and with the stacking design, you only have to build two top pieces to have the option to set it on your table as a complete tower or a ruined one, which is even more Frostgravey. Winter is coming, after all.
When I get enough winter-textured pieces built to set up a semi-decent table, I'll post pics of the whole shebang. But there's a lot going on IRL right now, so that may be a while...
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Post by wyvern on Mar 21, 2018 13:00:36 GMT -9
This was pretty much my experience with the Orc Tower too, jeffgeorge , though I constructed that for use by an undead necromancer rather than orcs (the hanging skeletons in places are thus convenient spare parts!). I looked through both the other Towers I picked up more recently, opting for the Wizard's first as it better matched something I've been thinking of for a while, a sage's retreat, though I will be adding more freestanding bookshelves and other 3D furniture along the way. All three come with extra options, aside from just the wall textures. The top of the Orc Tower has been ruined but repaired with wood and rubble, for instance, and it also comes with the option to replace the entrance steps with a ramshackle wooden ramp. There was a big bundle FD promo last August-September, as I picked up a lot of the Dragonshire kits I didn't have then, and yes, I haven't done much with those since either. Though I am going to be using some of the Dragonshire interior decorations/furniture in the Wizard's Sage's Tower model.
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Post by jeffgeorge on Mar 22, 2018 10:58:17 GMT -9
This was pretty much my experience with the Orc Tower too, jeffgeorge , though I constructed that for use by an undead necromancer rather than orcs (the hanging skeletons in places are thus convenient spare parts!). I looked through both the other Towers I picked up more recently, opting for the Wizard's first as it better matched something I've been thinking of for a while, a sage's retreat, though I will be adding more freestanding bookshelves and other 3D furniture along the way. All three come with extra options, aside from just the wall textures. The top of the Orc Tower has been ruined but repaired with wood and rubble, for instance, and it also comes with the option to replace the entrance steps with a ramshackle wooden ramp. There was a big bundle FD promo last August-September, as I picked up a lot of the Dragonshire kits I didn't have then, and yes, I haven't done much with those since either. Though I am going to be using some of the Dragonshire interior decorations/furniture in the Wizard's Sage's Tower model. I'm pretty sure the FD promo bundle you mention is where I picked up a lot of what I have, although I must have purchased at least one other bundle before that. I need to explore the various kits; I get a lot of mileage out of the "scatter terrain", such as bushes, small trees, carts, signs, bookshelves, logs, benches, etc. The specials and limited-time bundles are definitely the way to buy FD stuff. It's too pricey otherwise. Also, on a one-for-one basis, I usually prefer Dave Graffam's models to Fat Dragon's in the areas where they overlap, such as houses and shops. The Graffam houses are more interesting and better detailed, though they are often somewhat trickier to build, and not nearly as fold-flat friendly, if that matters to you. It seems that Graffam often runs excellent sales, and I've also rat-holed at least a couple dozen of his buildings that I haven't built yet. FD runs specials less often, and they are usually not as steeply discounted as Graffam's sales. I just looked closely at the Orc Tower for the first time. It's very much a re-skin of the regular Winterhaven Watchtower. Looking at the pictures, I'm pretty sure the raggedy top would sit right on top of the "regular" tower. I'll probably pick that up--its one of the few things I don't have yet in the Winterhaven line--and at least build the orc top as an option to go on the tower I've already built. One question--are there snow/ice texture options on the orc tower? If there are, it would be really great for my Frostgrave project!
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Post by wyvern on Mar 22, 2018 12:06:17 GMT -9
A lot of what I've done with paper building models in recent years has been as set-piece Stronghold models for "Hordes of the Things" wargaming, and in 15mm-20mm scale, such models are supposed to fit within a six-inch square base, and they have to stand out as unusual too, hence the FD Towers recently. I do have quite a few of Dave Graffam's kits as well, especially things like the stone floor/ground surfaces, because they can be easily drafted in to other models to vary the floor appearances quite markedly (just so many layer options with them). Fold-flat isn't a key point for me, certainly, as for the Strongholds especially, I also like to add minis and other items to spice them up a little more, and once added, the only way the complete models would fold flat is if someone sat on one...
Yes, you're right, the Orc Tower is indeed a reskin/slight reworking (the wooden tower top is quite new, I think) of the others, something I'd not realised till I saw the other two lately. The basic structural concept works so well, that can only be a good thing, of course.
Unfortunately though, the orcs mustn't like the cold, as there are no snow and ice options, just greenery, stains, metal sheets, skins, and skeletons as additional wall coverings (including on the tower top).
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