The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #374: Finishing Dragon Fall, Part 9
https://archive.org/download/podcast-374/Podcast%20374.mp3
This week, we are finishing Dragon Fall (1984) by Lee J Hindle. This was a fun one. I have a few of similar vintage that I may read on the show. Stay tuned =)
Did you check out the podcast exclusive bonus episode preview with actress Catherine Mary Stewart (about Night of the Comet)?
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The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #373: Tweaking the Thirteenth Hour DnD Combat System 1 (The Warlock of Firetop Mountain) and Dragon Fall Reading Part 8
https://archive.org/download/podcast-373/Podcast%20373.mp3
This past week, we did our first Patreon Thirteenth Hour DnD session using a homebrew role playing system made from hybrid Dungeons and Dragons / Quest RPG rules. I thought we’d read some of the combat rules used in this game book, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, just to review one way they do combat with one person and 2 six sided dice. I thought it’d be interesting to see how these gamebooks employed combat game mechanics since their emphasis was primarily interactive story telling, just like our Thirteenth Hour DnD system.
The combat rules used in The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. As with many of these rule sets I’ve seen, there is not much emphasis on the nature of the attack or where it is targeted – more of an assumption that the attack happens in a binary sense – it is either successful or it is not.
The example we went through in the episode.
In the second part of the pod, we are reading Chapter 6 in Dragon Fall (1984) by Lee J Hindle. One more chapter to go!
More from Dragon Fall next week! Did you check out the podcast exclusive bonus episode preview with actress Catherine Mary Stewart (about Night of the Comet)?
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The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #372: Making more Rocketeer Figure Castings, Dragon Fall Reading Part 7, and More
https://archive.org/download/podcast-372/Podcast%20372.mp3
This week, I’ve been casting Rocketeers using the mold I made recently. Working on the third copy now. Surprisingly, I’ve been pretty happy with the mold, especially since the resin I am using to cast the limbs (Smooth On 65D) has a working (pot) life of only about 2.5 minutes before hardens, so you have to work fast. Here is the latest guy to come out of the mold with parts from the first one post priming scattered around.
I think part of the difference here was that I used a base figure that was a little easier to work with and I got a better mold to be begin with.
In the second part of the pod, we are reading Chapter 5 in Dragon Fall (1984) by Lee J Hindle.
More from Dragon Fall next week! Soon – stay tuned for a podcast exclusive episodes with actress Catherine Mary Stewart (about Night of the Comet) coming this week.
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The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #371: Making a Rocketeer Figure Mold, Thirteenth Hour Figure Updates, Dragon Fall Reading Part 6, and More
https://archive.org/download/podcast-371/Podcast%20371.mp3
This week, I’ve been finishing up the Thirteenth Hour action figures. I’ve gotten almost all of them put together and am now putting on the finishing touches. I ended up revising the color scheme when I had to redo all the limbs so be simpler and now am glad I did – no shading, brighter colors – simpler, just like the original 5 points of articulation Kenner figures of the 70s and 80s. Logan and Aurora on Lightning below. Aside from some finishing touches, I just need to add some clear blue-green resin to the console on Lightning the hoverboard’s front. You can see a slight depression there at the front, near Aurora’s feet, where the clear resin will go.
Hopefully, some of the knowledge gained there will help when making 5 points of articulation Rocketeer figures. I just finished the mold this week. It’s always exciting to see if your hard work and planning will pay off when you crack open the mold for the first time.
In the second part of the pod, we are finishing Chapter 4 in Dragon Fall (1984) by Lee J Hindle.
More from Dragon Fall next week! Soon – stay tuned for podcast exclusive episodes with actors Catherine Mary Stewart (about Night of the Comet) and Billy Campbell (about the Rocketeer) that you can unlock!
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The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #370: A Look Back at 80s Choose Your Own Adventure/Endless Quest Style Books, DnD, and Dragon Fall Reading Part 5
https://archive.org/download/podcast-370/Podcast%20370.mp3
This week, I’m taking a little trip down memory lane, talking about some of the Choose Your Own Adventure style books I recall liking as a kid.
One of the show’s previous guests, Chad Derdowski (on episodes 107, 108, and 119), wrote and illustrated his own (hilarious, I might add) 80s inspired Choose Your Own Adventure style fantasy books, Fortune Favors the Bold and its sequel that are brilliant. Look up his work on IG here!
I’ve been reminded of books like these since I’ve been working on something specific for Patreon members – a Thirteenth Hour specific Dungeons & Dragons style series of scenarios. I’m modding an existing rpg platform called Quest and adding some additions to the combat system to allow for more nuance there and hopefully make it less dependent on pure luck. Patreon members – stay tuned.
My brother, Jeremy, wrote an article on his blog about the one issue of Dragon magazine we had as kids. We read it often (even though we didn’t understand what it was about) due to the great fantasy art and the fact we knew it was about games, and though we couldn’t really comprehend what role playing games were, the game books, the imagery, the rep (Satanic panic and all), and the miniatures all made it an alluring mystery.
And another Jeremy! Shout out also to a different Jeremy – Jeremy Lesniak from Whistlekick. We’ll be recording a show this week about his martial arts-themed novel, Faith. Maybe we’ll even get to discuss some of these things in the context of his story.
In the second part of the pod, we are starting Chapter 4 in Dragon Fall (1984) by Lee J Hindle.
More from Dragon Fall next week!
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The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #369: Rocketeer Custom Action Figure Updates and Dragon Fall Reading Part 4
https://archive.org/download/podcast-369/Podcast%20369.mp3
This week, I finished a prototype of a 3.75″ Rocketeer figures made from adding clay to an Iron Man action figure I found in Walgreens. A few pictures:
This picture shows the almost completed prototype on the left and on the right, the second one which I succeeded in taking apart before adding the clay. I also modified the right hand to be able to hold a pistol. The black thing on the floor is an EVA foam so the pistol can slide into it:
These are the things I used to make the head. I cut the Iron Man head off at the neck (sorry, Iron Man) and inserted a screw into the base. I drilled a hole in the resin Rocketeer helmet and screwed the red base into it.
This was for the second version, since in the prototype, I wasn’t able to get the parts apart first, but the process was basically the same. Speaking of which, here’s the completed prototype:
In this version, there is no functional Mauser holster; it’s just sculpted on. Of course, in the Dave Stevens comic (aside from a few covers) and in the film, the Rocketeer has no holster. I think it the movie, he uses his pants pocket. But I figured, eventually, he might opt for a holster as being more secure and convenient. I drew him as having a holster in the game as well.
I have also made some sow progress on the Thirteenth Hour figures of the same size (3.75″). I had to recast most of the arms and legs, repaint them, and then individually fit them to the torsos again after the last mishap, so at this point, hopefully that learning experience will help when making the Rocketeer figures.
In the second part of the pod, we are reading Chapter 3 in Dragon Fall (1984) by Lee J Hindle.
More from Dragon Fall next week!
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The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #368: Rocketeer Custom Action Figure Updates and Dragon Fall Reading Part 3
https://archive.org/download/podcast-368/Podcast%20368.mp3
This week, I give some updates on the making 3.75 inch Rocketeer figures from the 3.75″ Iron Man toy as reading the next part of Dragon Fall (1984) by Lee J Hindle.
A few pictures of the process of painting the figure. The next to last photo shows a duplicate I’m sculpting except this one should be able to be dissembled for resin casting.
More from Dragon Fall next week.
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The Thirteenth Hour 